2012 AUDI R8 SPYDER engine

172 Checking and filling
Engine oil
Engine oil specifications
The engine oil used in your Audi needs the
right kind of oil.
The engine in your Audi is a sophisticated
powerplant that was built to exacting specifi­
cations. This engine needs the right kind of
engine oil that meets specifications regarding
quality and viscosity so that it can run
smoothly and reliably. Choosing the right oil
and changing oil within the time and mileage intervals printed in your vehicle's Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet matters a lot more to­
day than it did years ago. Audi has developed
a special quality standard for engine oil that
will help assure that your vehicle's engine will
get the lubrication it needs for proper opera­
tion .
Modern engine lubrication has taken a quan­
tum leap in the last few years. Many synthetic
oils available today provide better engine lu­ brication that can outlast traditional petrole ­
um-based oils, making them a smart choice
for use throughout the life of your Audi .
Whether you use synthetic or petroleum­ based engine oil, the oil that you use must
conform to Audi's oil quality standard
VW 502 00 to help keep your vehicle's engine running smoothly and help prevent the for­
mation of harmful deposits, sometimes called
"sludge," that over time can lead to expensive
repairs.
At the time of printing, engine oils available in
the U.S. and Canada that meet the exacting
specifications of Audi oil standard VW 502 00
are synthetic engine oils. This does not mean,
however, that every synthetic engine oil will
meet Audi oil standard VW 502 00 . So always
be sure that you use an approved oil.
To help prevent the formation of harmful de­ posits use only oil with the following specifi­
cations printed on the oil container :
Audi oil standard VW 502 00
Oil container labels may carry the specifica­
tion singly or in combination with other desig­ nations and oil quality standards.
Viscosity
Engine oils are graded according to their vis­
cosity . The proper viscosity grade oil for your
engine depends on climactic or seasonal con­
ditions where you drive. You can use oil with a
viscosity grade of SAE SW40 across all tem­
perature ranges for normal driving conditions.
However, if engine oil viscosity grade SAE
SW40 is not available, you can also use viscos­
ity grade SAE SW-30 or SAE OW-40 as long as
it meets Audi oil quality standard VW 502 00
specifications.
Because engine oil that meets the Audi oil
standard may not be available everywhere
when you need it, we strongly recommend
that you always carry with you an extra quart (liter) of oil that expressly conforms to the
VW 502 00 specification, in case you have to
top off the oil while on the road.
Only if the level of the oil is at or below the
minimum mark on the oil dipstick - and no oil
that expressly conforms to Audi oil standard
VW 502 00 specifications is available -may
you top off with a high quality engine oil, pref­
erably synthetic-based, that meets ACEA A3
or API SM specifications, but even then, only
in viscosity grades SAE SW-40, SAE SW-30, or
SAE OW-40. However, during the entire time
between oil change intervals, never top off
with more than a total of 1 qt/liter engine oil
that does not conform to Audi oil specification
vw 502 00.
For more information about engine oil that
has been approved for your vehicle, please
contact either your authorized Audi dealer or
Audi Customer Relations at 1 (800) 822-2834 or visit our web site at www.audiusa.com or
www .audicanada .ca. Here you will also find a
current list of oils (manufacturers, brand
names etc.) that conform to Audi oil standard
vw 502 00.
Changing the engine oil

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>-
•
•

17 4 Che cking and filling
@ Tips
If you have the impression your eng ine
consumes excessive amounts of oil, we
recommend that you cons ult your a uthor­
ized Audi deale r to have the cause of yo ur
concer n properly d iagnosed . Keep in m ind
that the accurat e measurement of oil con ­
sumpt ion re quires great care an d may take
s ome time. Your author ized Audi dealer
h as ins truction s about h ow to mea sure o il
consumption a ccurately .
Checking the engine oil level
Fig. 140 Ins trume nt clus te r: En gin e o il te mpe rat ure
di sp lay
F ig.
14 1 Marke rs on oil dipstic k
Before you check anything in the eng ine com­
pa rtment,
alway s read and heed all WARN­
INGS ¢ A in Working in the engin e compart­
ment on page 169.
Determining oil lev el
.. Warm up the engine by dr iv ing unt il t he in­
strument cl uster d isplay shows an oil tem ­
perature of 210 °F (100 °C) to 230 °F
(110 °C)
¢ fig . 140 @ .
.. Park your vehicle so that it is hori zo ntally
level. ..
Allow the warm engine to r un for abo ut two
m inutes at idle.
.. Shut the eng ine off and wa it two minutes .
.. Check the oil level on the engine oil d ipstick
¢fig. 141.
Oil level within range (v
.. Do not add oil.
Oil level within range@
"" Add 1 quart (I liter) of oi l i=:> page 174. Af­
terwards ,
the oil leve l sho uld be with in
r a nge
G) .
Depend ing on the way the vehicle is dr iven
and the ope ra tin g cond itions, o il consu mption
ca n be up to 1 q uart per 600 miles (1 liter per
1,0 00 km) . Co nsump tion may be higher with­
i n the f irst 3,000 mi les (5,00 0 km) .
Adding engine oil~
Fig. 14 2 En g in e co mpa rt m ent: O il fil ler cap loca tio n
Befo re you check a nyth ing in the eng in e com­
partment,
always read and heed all WARN­
INGS ¢.&. in Working in the engine compar t­
men t on page 169.
.,. Unsc rew th e cap 't=;,1 to the eng ine o il filling
hole
¢ fig . 14 2.
.,. Care fully top o ff wi th t he a ppropr iate oil
¢ page 217.
.. Check the oil level again ¢ page 174 .
.. Top off the oi l aga in, if necessary .
.,. Sc rew the cap back on the filling hole and
slide the oil dipstick in as far as it w ill go. ..,.

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.
•
•

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.