2012 AUDI R8 SPYDER tow

96 Driving Safely
Pedal area
The pedals must always be free to move and
must never be interfered with by a floor mat
or any other object.
• Make sure tha t all pedals move freely with­
out interference.
• Make sure that nothing prevents all pedals
from returning to their original positions.
Only use floor mats that leave the pedal area
free and can be secured with floor mat fasten­
ers.
If a brake circuit fails, increased brake pedal
travel is required to bring the vehicle to a full
stop .
A WARNING ,_
Pedals that cannot move freely can cause
loss of vehicle control and increase the risk
of serious injury.
- Never place any objects in the driver's
footwell. An object could get into the
pedal area and interfere with pedal func ­
tion. In case of sudden braking or an ac­
cident, you would not be able to brake or
accelerate!
-Always make sure that nothing can fall or move into the driver's footwell.
Floor mats on the driver side
Always use floor mats that can be securely attached to the floor mat fasteners and do
not interfere with the free movement of the
pedals.
• Make sure that the floor mats are properly
secured and cannot move and interfere with
the pedals
q .&_ .
Use only floor mats that leave the pedal area
unobstructed and that are firmly secured so
that they cannot slip out of position. You can
obtain suitable floor mats from your author­
ized Audi dealer .
A WARNING
Pedals that cannot move freely can result
in a loss of vehicle control and increase the
risk of serious personal injury.
- Always make sure that floor mats are
properly secured .
- Never place or install floor mats or other
floor coverings in the vehicle that cannot be properly secured in place to prevent
them from slipping and interfering with
the pedals or the ability to control the
vehicle.
- Never place or install floor mats or other
floor coverings on top of already instal­
led floor mats. Additional floor mats and
other coverings will reduce the size of
the pedal area and interfere with the pedals.
- Always properly reinstall and secure floor
mats that have been taken out for clean­
ing.
- Always make sure that objects cannot
fall into the driver footwell while the ve­
hicle is moving. Objects can become
trapped under the brake pedal and accel­
erator pedal causing a loss of vehicle
control.
Stowing luggage
Loading the luggage compartment
All luggage and other objects must be prop­ erly stowed and secured in the luggage com­
partment.
Loose items in the luggage compartment can
shift suddenly, changing vehicle handling
characteristics. Loose items can also increase
the risk of serious personal injury in a sudden
vehicle maneuver or in a collision.
In a collision, the laws of physics mean that
even smaller items that are loose in the vehi­
cle will become heavy missiles that can cause
serious injury. Items in the vehicle possess en­
ergy which vary with vehicle speed and the
weight of the item. Vehicle speed is the most
significant factor.

106 Safety belts
-A loose-fitting safety belt can cause seri­
ous injuries by shifting its position on
your body from the strong bones to more
vulnerable, soft tissue and cause serious injury .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important information
c::> page 102.
Pregnant women must also be properly
restrained
The best way to protect the fetus is to make
sure that expectant mothers always wear
safety belts correctly -throughout the preg­
nancy.
Fig. 118 Safe ty belt pos it io n durin g pregnancy
To provide maximum protection, safety belts
must always be positioned correctly on the
wearer's body
c::> page 1 OS.
.. Adjust the front sea t and head restraint cor­
rectly
¢ pag e 59, Seats and storage.
.. Hold the belt by the tongue and pull it
evenly across the che st so tha t it sits as low
as possible on the pelvis and there is no
pressure on the abdomen
c::> fig . 118 c::> .&_ .
.. Insert the tongue into the correct buckle of
your seat until you hear it latch securely
¢page 104, fig . 116.
.. Pull on the belt to make sure that it is se­
curely latched in the buckle .
A WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can
cause serious personal injury in an acci­
dent. -
Expectant mothers must always wear the
lap portion of the safety belt as low as
possible across the pelvis and below the
rounding of the abdomen .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important information
c::> & in Fas­
tening safety belts on page 1 OS.
· Unfastening safety belts
Unbuckle the safety belt with the red release
bu tton only after the vehicle has stopped.
Fig. 119 Re leas ing the tong ue from the bu ckle
.. Push the red release button on the buckle
c::> fig. 119 . The belt tongue will spring out
of the buckle
c::> .&_ .
.. Let the belt wind up on the retractor as you
guide the belt tongue to its stowed position.
A WARNING
-Never unfasten safety belt while the vehi-
cle is moving . Doing so will increase your
risk of being injured or killed.
Improperly worn safety belts
Incorrectly positioned safety belts can cause
severe injuries.
Wearing safety belts improperly can cause se­ rious injury or death . Safety belts can only
work when they are correctly positioned on
the body. Improper seating positions reduce
the effectiveness of safety belts and will
even
increase the risk of injury and death by mov­
ing the safety belt to crit ical areas of the
body . Improper seating positions also in­
crease the risk of serious injury and death

-Never remove the upholstery from the
front passenger seat.
- Never disassemble or remove parts from
the seat or disconnect wires from it.
- Never carry sharp objects in your pockets
or place them on the seat. If the weight­
sensing mat in the passenger seat is
punctured it cannot work properly.
- Never carry things on your lap or carry
objects on the passenger seat. Such
items can increase the weight registered
by the weight-sensing mat and send the
wrong information to the airbag control
unit.
- Never store items under the front pas­
senger seat. Parts of the Advanced Air­
bag System under the passenger seat
could be damaged, preventing them and
the airbag system from working proper­ ly.
- Never place seat covers or replacement
upholstery that have not been specifical­
ly approved by Audi on the front seats.
- Seat covers can prevent the Advanced
Airbag System from recognizing child re­
straints or occupants on the front pas­
senger seat and prevent the side airbag
in the seat backrest from deploying prop­
erly.
- Never use cushions, pillows, blankets or
similar items on the front passenger
seat. The additional padding will prevent
the weight-sensing mat in the seat from
accurately registering the child restraint
or person on the seat and prevent the
Advanced Airbag System from function­ ing properly.
- If you must use a child restraint on the
front passenger seat and the child re­
straint manufacturer 's instructions re­
quire the use of a towel, foam cushion or
something else to properly position the
child restraint, make certain that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes
on and stays on whenever the child re­
straint is installed on the front passen­
ger seat .
Airbag system 117
-If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, the inflat­
ing airbag will hit the child safety seat or
infant carrier with great force and will
smash the child safety seat and child
against the backrest, door or roof. Have
the airbag system inspected immediately by your authorized Audi dealer .
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
The front Advanced Airbag System and the
side airbags supplement the protection of­
fered by the front three-point safety belts
with pretensioners and load limiters and the
adjustable head restraints to help reduce the
risk of injury in a wide range of accident and
crash situations. Be sure to read the impor­
tant information about safety and heed the
WARNINGS in this chapter.
Deployment of the Adv a need Airbag System
and the activation of the safety belt preten­
sioners depend on the deceleration measured
by the crash sensors and registered by the
electronic control unit. Crash severity depends
on speed and deceleration as well as the mass
and stiffness of the vehicle or object involved
in the crash.
When the electronic control unit registers a
low severity crash and the safety belt is being
used, the airbag will not deploy. If the safety
belt is not being used, the first stage deploys,
followed by the second stage after a much lat­
er time in the crash sequence.
If the electronic control unit registers a crash
of medium severity, the first stage of the air­
bag deploys followed by the second stage at a
much later time in the crash sequence - re­
gardless of whether the safety belt is being
used or not . In higher severity crashes as reg­
istered by the electronic control unit, both the
first and second stages deploy almost at the
same time .
On the passenger side, regardless of safety
belt use, the airbag will be turned off if the
weight on the passenger seat is less than the
IJII,-
•
•

A loose chi ld safety seat can fly around
dur ing a sudden stop or in a crash.
- Always make sure the seat backrest to
wh ich the child restraint is installed is in
an upr ight position . Otherwise, the seat­
back with the child safety seat attached
to it could fly forward in the event of an
acc ident or other emergency situat ion.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child rest rain ed in ave­
hicle is being used
~page 130. Spec ial
precautions apply when installing a ch ild
sa fety sea t on the fron t passenge r sea t
~ page 111, Child restrain ts on the fron t
seat -some impor tant things to know.
Deactivating the convertible locking
retractor
The convertible locking retractor for child re ­
straints will be deactivated automatically
when the belt is wound all the way back into the retractor.
~ P ress the red button on the safety be lt
buck le . The belt tongue will pop out of the
buck le.
~ G ui de the safety belt all the way back into
i ts stowed posit ion.
A lways let the safety belt retract comp lete ly
into its stowed posit ion. The safety belt can
now be used as an ord inary safety belt with­
out the convert ible lock ing retractor for chi ld
restra ints .
If the convert ible locking retractor s hou ld be
activated inadvertently, the safety belt must be unfastened and guided completely back in ­
to its stowed position to deactivate th is fea­
ture . If the convertib le loc king retractor is not
deactivated, the safe ty belt will g radua lly be­
come tighter and uncomfo rt a b le to wear .
A WARNING
Imprope rly insta lled child sa fe ty seats in ­
crease the risk of ser ious personal inju ry
and death in a collision .
Child Safet y 141
-Never unfasten the safety belt to deacti­
vate the convertible locking retracto r for
child restraints while the vehicle is mov ­
ing. You would not be restrained and
could be serious ly inju red in an accide nt.
- Always read a nd heed a ll WARNI NGS
wheneve r us ing a child restrained in ave­
hicle is being used
Q page 130 . Special
prec autions app ly wh en insta lling a child
safety sea t on the fro nt passe nger seat
Q page 111, Child restraints on the fron t
seat -some important things to know.
Additional Information
Sources of information about child
restraints and their use
T he re a re a number of sources of additiona l
in forma tion a bout child re st ra in t se lec tion, in­
stalla tion and use:
N HTSA advises that the best ch ild safety seat
i s the one t hat fits you r ch ild and fits in you r
vehicle, and that yo u will u se correc tly and
c onsistently.
Try before you buy!
U .S National Highway Traffic Safety Admin­
istration
Tel.: 1-888-327-4236 (TTY: 1 -800 -424 -9153)
www . n htsa .gov
National SAFE KIDS Campaign
Tel.: (202) 662-0600
www .safe kids .org
Safety BeltSafe U.S.A
Tel.: (800) 7 45-SAFE (English)
Tel.: (800) 747-SANO (Span is h)
www .carseat .org
T ransport Canada Information Centre
Tel.: 1 (800) 333-03 71 or call
1 (613) 998-8616 if you are in the Ottawa
area
www .tc .gc.ca/ roadsafe ty
Audi Customer Relations
Tel.: (800) 822-2834 •
•

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.

152 Driving and en vironm ent
- Have your vehicle maintained properly
and in accordance with the service rec­
ommendations in your Warranty
& Main­
tenance booklet. Lack of proper mainte­
nance as well as improper use of the ve­
hicle will impair the funct ion of the
emission control system and could lead
to damage.
- Do not a lter or remove any component of
t h e Em ission Cont rol System unless ap­
proved by the manufacturer.
- Do not a lter or remove any dev ice, such
as heat shields, switc hes, ignition wires,
va lves, wh ich are designed to pro tect
you r vehicle's Emiss ion Con trol Sys tem
and other important vehicle compo­
nents .
@ Tips
The consumpt ion es tima tes as p ublished
by the ENV IRONMENTAL PRO TECTION
AGENCY (EPA) and Transport Canada may
not correspond to yo ur actua l cons ump­
tion on the road, which will vary depend· ing upon vehicle load and speed, road and
weather conditions, trip length, etc.
Trailer towing
Your Audi RB is not designed to tow a trailer.
Towing a tra iler with your Audi R8 is not rec­
ommended and can cause damage to the vehi­
cle . Damage caused by tow ing a tra iler is not
covered under warranty .

158 Cleaning and protection
You shou ld also clean the inside of the win ­
dow g lass at regular intervals.
The cloth or chamois used on paint surfaces
con tains wax res idue. Use a separa te cloth or
chamois to d ry the window glass.
Cl eaning the rear window
Aud i recommends cleaning the window us ing
a soft cotton clot h and water m ixed wi th
clean ing solution or window cleaner (1:1 mix ­
ture) . To avoid streaks, do not wipe the win­
dow dry with paper towels.
D o not use any clea ning so lutions that conta in
ammonia, acids , si licone or fl uo ride or clean­
ers that are abrasive or co uld cause sc ratches.
Do not use any alkaline cleaning solutions.
A WARNING
- The windshie ld m ust not be treated with
water-repe llent materials. They can in­
crease glare under poor visib ility condi­
tions such as wetness, darkness, or when
the sun is low on the horizon. In addi­
t ion, they can cause the windshield wip­
ers to chatte r.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information
¢ page 153.
(D Note
-Never use warm or hot water to remove
snow and ice from windows and mirrors.
This could cause the glass to crack .
- To prevent damage to the wires of the
rear defogger, do not place any adhesive
sticke rs on the inside of the rear window
over the wires.
- To help prevent d irt from scratch ing the
window, always scrape in a forward d i­
r ection - pushing the scraper away from
you - never back and forth .
Wheels
Regular care is required to preserve the deco­
rative appearance of the wheels . Road sa lt
and brake dust must be washed off regu larly
or the wheels wi ll be damaged. Use only special acid-free cleaning agents
. You
can find proper wheel cleaner at authorized
Audi dealers and specia lty stores . Do not leave
the cleaner on the wheels longer than speci­
fied. Wheel cleaners contain ing acid can dam­
age the surface of the wheel bolts .
Pa int polish or other abrasive materials must
not be used when caring for wheels . If the
protective coat ing has been damaged, from
stones for example, touch up the damage as
soon as possible.
A WARNING ,__
- Moisture and ice on b rakes may affect
b rak ing eff ic iency -
¢ page 145, Braking.
Test the b rakes carefully after each veh i­
cle wash.
- Always read and heed a ll WARNI NGS and
the informa tion
¢page 153.
Exhaust tail pipes
-
Road salt and other corrosive materials will
damage the material in the exhaust tail pipes
if they are not cleaned regularly. Do not clean
the tail pipes with wheel cleaner, pa int polish,
chrome polish or other abrasive cleaners.
Clean the tail pipes with car care products
that are suitable for sta inless steel.
Your authorized Audi dea ler can provide clean­
ing products that have been tested and ap­
proved for your vehicle.
Care of interior
Radio and navigation display
T he display may be cleaned with a soft cloth
and commercially-avai lab le "LCD cleaner".
The cloth should be coated lightly when the
cleaning solution when cleaning the display.
(D Note
To prevent scratches, only clean the dis­play when it is dry.

Cleaning and caring for leather
upholstery and trim
Applies to vehicles: with natu ral leather
Natural leather requires special care and at­
tention.
Norm al cleaning
.,. Cle an soiled areas w it h a slightly mo istened
cotton or woolen cloth .
More stubb orn d irt
.,. More stubborn dirt can b e re moved using a
cloth saturated with a m ild soap so lution (2
tablespoons m ild liquid soap).
.,. Never allow the soap solution to saturate
the leather, and make certa in that no water
soaks into the seams .
.,. Wipe off the soap solut ion with a soft, dry
clo th .
Cl eaning spots
.,. Remove fresh wa ter-b ased spots (such as
coffee, tea, ju ices, blood) w ith an absorbent
cloth or paper towel.
.,. Remove fresh
gr ease or o il-based spot s
(such as b utter, mayonnaise , chocolate) wi th
an absorbent cloth or paper towe l, or use
the cleaner from the leather care kit if the
spot has not yet p enetrated into the surface
of the leathe r.
.,. Use an oil/grease dissolv ing spray, if
oil /
gr ease spot s hav e dr ied on.
.,. Remove spec ific kinds of spots (ballpo int
pen, felt marker, fingernail polish , water­
based paint, shoe polish, etc.) with a spot
remove r spec ifi cally formulated for leather .
Leather care
.,. Every half year use an approved leather care
product (ava ilable from your authorized Au ­
di dealer) to care for the leather .
.,. Apply the p roduct very spa ring ly.
.,. Wipe it off wi th a damp cloth .
If you have any questions about cleaning and
car ing for the leather in your vehicle, it is best
to contact your author ized Audi dealer, who
will be glad to help you and tell you about our
fu ll range of leather care products, s uch as:
Cleaning and protec tion 16 1
-Leather cleaning and care kit
- Cremes to care for colored leather
- Spot removers for ballpoint pens, shoe pol-
ish, etc.
- Oi l/grease d issolving spray
- New and upcom ing products .
A WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
the information
r:!vpage 153.
@ Note
- Never use chemical so lvents (e .g . lighter
fluid, tu rpentine), waxes, shoe polish or
sim ilar products on the leather surfaces
in your Audi.
- To avoid damage, have stubbo rn sta ins
removed by a comme rcial clean ing spe­
c ialist.
Cleaning Alcantara ® (synthetic suede)
App lies to vehicles: wit h Alcantara upholstery
Removing dust and dirt
.,. Mois ten a cloth , squeeze out excess water
and wipe down the seat surfaces.
Removing stains
.,. Moisten a cloth with lukewarm wate r or
w ith d iluted
e th yl (rubbing ) alcohol.
.,. Dab at the stain . Start at the outs ide and
work i nwards .
.,. Once the sta in is no longer v is ible , use a
soft dry cloth or tissue to soak up the mo is ­
ture.
Do no t use leather cleaning prod ucts on A l­
cantara .
You may use a suitab le shampoo for remov ing
dust and di rt.
Dust and gr it in the pores and seams can
scratch and damage the surface .
If the car is
left stand ing in the sun for long per iods, the
Alcanta ra covers should be protected aga inst
direc t sun light to prevent it from fad ing.
Slight co lor va riations will develop in normal .,.. •
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