2012 AUDI R8 SPYDER ECO mode

4 Vehicle literature
In addition to this Owner's Manual, your Audi
comes with a Warranty
& Maintenance book­
l et.
Moreover, depending on the model and the
eq uip ment, there may be additiona l instruc­
tion booklets delivered with your vehicle (for
examp le, Operating Instr uctions for your
Sound System, Navigation System etc.) .
If you are missing one of these publications,
or if you believe that the information is not
comp lete, contact your authorized Audi dea ler
for assistance .
The Warranty & Maintenance booklet
explains how yo u can keep you r Audi in top
driving condition by having it serviced regu lar­
ly and contains detai led information about
the warranties covering your Audi. Always
have the booklet with you when you take your
vehicle to an author ized Audi dealer for serv­
ice . Your Audi Service Adviser w ill record each
scheduled service and can answer any ques­
tions you may have regarding how to maintain
your ve hicle.
In Canada,
the vehicle literature is also availab le in
French . To obtain a copy, contact your dealer
or write to :
Au Canada, on peut se procurer un exemplaire
en fran~ais de ce document aupres du conces­
sionna ire ou de:
Volkswagen Canada, Inc.
Client Assistance
Assistance a la Clientele
777 Bayly Street, West,
Ajax, Ontario LIS 7G7
If you sell your Audi
all literature should be left in the veh icle to
make the Warranty terms as well as all oper­
ating, safety and ma intenance information
ava ilable to the next owner.
If you change your address or if you
bought this Audi used
be sure to send in a "Notice of Address
Change"/ "Notice of Used Car Purchase" post
card. Th is card can be found in the Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet or obtained from your
authorized Aud i dealer .
It is in your own interest that we are able to
contact you should the need arise .

Instrument s and warning /indicator lights 9
Tachometer (engine rev counter)
The tachometer indicates the engine RPM
(revolutions per minutes).
You should shift to the next lowest gear when
the speed is below 1500 RPM. The beg inning
of the red zone in the tachometer indicates
the maximum permiss ible engine speed for
all gears once the eng ine has been broken in
a nd when i t is wa rm. You sho uld shift to the
n ex t hi gher gea r, switc h the R tron ic sport
mode
off or remove your foot from the accel ­
erator pedal before reaching this a rea in the
ga uge.
(D Note
The needle in the tachometer¢ page 8,
fig. 3@ may only be in the red area of the
gauge fo r a short time or the engine could
be damaged. The location whe re the red
zone beg ins va ries depending on the en­
g ine.
Digital clock with date display
Your vehicle is equipped with a quartz con­
trolled digital clock.
Fig . 4 In stru ment cl us ter w ith th e dig ita l clock
D ate and time are set using the knob ¢ fig. 4.
To set the hour
• Pull the knob (hour d isplay flashes) and
turn it to the left o r right.
To set the minutes
• Pull the kno b as many times as necessary
u nti l the min ute display flashes .
• Turn the knob to the left or right.
To set the date
• Pull the knob as many t imes as necessary
until the day, month o r year disp lay flashes.
• Turn t he knob to the left or right.
To hide or display the date
• Pull the knob as many t imes as necessary
until the date disp lay fla shes.
• Tur n the knob to the le ft or right .
Wh en th e date d isp lay s tops blin king, this
mea ns th e time and da te have been s uccess ­
fully s tored.
Wi th the ign it ion
off, push ing or pu lling the
Set/Che ck button ¢
page 8, fig. 3 @ can tu rn
o n the display field ligh ting for a few seco nds.
Engine coolant temperature gauge
The eng ine coolan t ga uge¢ page 8, fig. 3@
onl y works when the igni tion is on. To pr event
dama ge to you r engine, p lease note the fol ­
low ing important points.
Engine cold
A s long as the nee dle rem ains at the left end
of the gauge, the engine s till has no t reac hed
its operati ng tem perature. Avoid hig h en gine
s p eeds, heavy engine loads and heavy throt­
t le.
Normal temperature
When the engine h as reache d its ope ra ti ng
t emperature, the need le w ill move in to the
mid dle of the gauge and rema in there . If t he
engine is working hard at hig h outside tem­
peratures, the needle may turn f urther to the
right. This is no cause for concer n as long as
the . war ning light i n the inst rument cluste r
does not illuminate .
Warning l ight.
When the warning light . starts to flash,
th is can mean one of two things : either the
coolant
temperature is to o high, or the coo l­
ant
level is t oo low¢ page 15.
If the need le is well on the rig ht s ide of the
gauge, the co olant temperature is too high .

10 Instrum ents a nd warning /indic ato r li ghts
Stop the vehicl e, sw itch the engin e off and
allo w it to coo l.
If the warning light comes on
again after driving a short distance, contact
an authorized Audi dealer.
A WARNING
- Always observe the warning in
¢ page 169, Working in the engine
compartment
before open ing the engine
compartment lid and checking the en­
gine coo lant level.
- Never open the engine compartment lid
if you see or hear steam, or if you see en­
gine coo lant dr ipping from the eng ine
compar tment. You could bur n yourse lf.
Let the engine coo l
off first so that you
cannot hear or see any steam or engine
coolant.
CD Note
- Mounting additional lights or accesso ries
in front of the air inlets reduces the cool­
ing effect of the radiator . At high outside
temperatures or high engine load, the
engine could overheat .
- The front spoi ler has been designed to
properly distribute the cooling air when
the vehicle is moving. If the spoiler is
damaged, this could reduce the cooling
effect and the engine could then over­
heat . Ask your authorized Aud i dea ler for
ass istance.
Fuel gauge
The fuel ga uge works only when the ignition is
on. When the needle reaches the red area, the
warning light in the instrument cluster will i l­
luminate
c::> page 18 Ii}']. This means you
have approximately 2.6 gallons (10 liters) of
fuel left in the tank.
Time to refuel!
The total tank capacity of your vehicle is listed
in
Te chnic al d ata c::> page 217 .
CD Note
Never run the tank comple tely d ry! An ir­
regular supply of fue l can cause engine misfiring and fuel could enter into the ex­
haust system. The catalytic converter
could then overheat and be damaged.
Speedometer with odometer
The speedometer shows you the vehicle
speed, and the odometer shows you how
many miles (kilometers) you have driven.
F ig. 5 Speedomete r close-up: odometer display
The distance dr iven is shown in m iles (USA
models) or in kilometers (Canada mode ls) .
Lo wer odometer
The lower odometer shows the total number
of miles (kilometers) dr iven .
Upper odom ete r (trip odometer )
The upper odometer shows the total number
of miles (kilometers) driven since you last re­
set the odometer back to zero. You can use
this odometer when you want to keep track of
how many m iles (kilometers) you have driven
for a single tr ip or errand . The last dig it ind i­
cates 1/10 of a mile (100 meters) . You can set
the tr ip odometer back to zero by pressing the
I RESE T! button c::> fig. 5.
With the ign ition off, pushing of the Set/
Check button
¢ page 8, fig . 3 @ can turn on
the d isplay fie ld lighting for a few seconds .
Malfunction me ssag e
If there is a malfunct ion somewhere in the in­
strument cluster,
d EF w ill appear in the trip
odometer and w ill stay on . Contact your au ­
thorized Audi dealer to have the problem cor­ rected.

Instrument s and warnin g/indic ator ligh ts 11
Immobilizer
When the ignition is switched on, the data on
the ignition key are scanned automatically.
I f an unautho rized key was used,
SAFE is dis­
p layed cont inuously in the odometer display
field. The veh icle cannot be operated
¢ page 33.
Voltmeter display
The vo ltmeter shows the voltage in the vehi ­
cle electrical system.
If the read ing drops be­
low 12 volts with the engine running, you
should have the power supply (battery and
generator) inspected by an authorized Audi
dealer .
@ Tips
Voltage can drop below 8 volts when you
start the engine.
Warning/indicator Lights
Description
The indicator lights in the instrument cluster
blink or turn on . They indicate functions or
malfunct ions ¢,&..
Messages may appear with some indicator
lights. The messages turn off after a short
time . To d isplay a message aga in, press the
Set/Check button ¢
page 8, fig. 3 ® · If there
i s more than one malfunction, the ind icator
l ights will tu rn on one afte r the other for ap­
prox imately two seconds each.
Some ind icators lights in the disp lay can turn
on in several colors.
A WARNING
- Failure to heed warning lights and other
importan t vehicle information m ay result
in serious persona l injury or vehicle dam ­
age.
- Whenever sta lled or s topped for repa ir,
move the vehicle a safe distance off the road, stop the engine, and turn on the
emergency flasher
¢ page 50.
- The engine compartment of any motor
veh icle is a potentially hazardous area.
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, stop the engine and let it
coo l down. Always exercise extreme cau­
tion when wo rking under the hood
¢ page 169, Working in the engine
compartment
(D Tips
Malfunctions or fau lts will be ident ified ei­
the r with a red symbol (p riority 1 -Dan­
ger!) or with a yellow symbol (priority 2 -
War ning).
Overview
Some indicator lights turn on briefly to check
the function o f that system when you swi tch
the ignition on. These systems are marked
with an./ in the following tables. If one of
these indicator lights does not turn on, there
is a ma lfunction in that system.
Red indicator lights
Red symbo ls indicate a priority ma lf u nction -
Danger!
- Pull off t he ro ad.
- Stop the vehicle.
- Turn off the engi ne.
- Check the malfunctioning system. Contact
your author ized Audi dealer or a qualified
workshop for assistance .
-USA models : Malfunction in the
brake system ¢
page 13
Canada models: Malfunction in the
b rake sys tem
¢ page 13
USA models: A irbag system./
¢ page 14
Canada models: Airbag system ./
¢page 14

Instruments and warning/indicator lights 13
Other indicator lights
•
II
CRUISE
•
•
Turn signals
¢page20
USA models: Cruise control acti ­
vated
¢ page 20
Canada models: Cru ise cont rol ac­
tivated
q page 20
High beam
¢page 51
BRAKE/ This warning/indicator light illuminates when
the brake fluid level is too low or when there
is a malfunction in the ABS, or when the park ­
ing brake is set.
If the - (USA models)/ . (Canada
models) symbol flashes in the disp lay with the
parking brake released, there is a ma lfuncti on
in the brake system . In addition to the sym­
bol, one of two messages appears in the dis­
play:
Stop vehicle and check brake fluid level
Stabilisation program and ABS fault! See
Owner's manual
.. Pull off the road and stop the vehicle.
.. Obtain professional ass istance.
USA models: if there is a malfunction in the
ABS system, the
r.1il warning/indicator light
illuminates along with the - system
malfunct ion warn ing/ indicator light
q ,&..
Canada models: if there is a malf unction in
the ABS system, the
ll] warning/ind icator
light illuminates together with the. brake
system malfunction warning/indicator light
c::>,&. .
The light - (USA)/ . (Canada) illumi­
nates when the ign ition is turned on . It goes
out after the engine has been started and the
parking brake is fu lly released . This indicates that the brake
warning light is functioning
properly.
If the brake warning light does not light up
when the engine is cranking or the parking
brake is applied, there may be a malfunction
in the electrical system. In this case, contact
your Audi deale r.
If the ABS fails, the ABS warn ing/ indicator
light
r.1il (USA models) /ll] (Canada models)
flashes together with the brake system warn­ ing/ indicator light
i:::> .&..
(USA mode ls): If the warn ing light - and
the warning light
EiJ illuminate together, im­
mediate ly contact your authorized Audi dea ler
or qualified workshop to have all brake pads
inspected
i:::> page 17.
When the light comes on, an audible warning
signal is also given.
Parking brake set
The pa rk ing brake war ning ligh t-·
(Canada models) illuminates when the park­
ing brake is set. In addition, a warning tone
will sound after you have driven for longer
than 3 seconds and faster than 3 mp h (S km/
h).
Parking brake set
The - warning/ indicator light illuminates
when the parking brake is set
i:::> .&. .
A WARNING
-Always observe the warnings in
¢ page 169, Working in the engine
compartment,
before opening the en­
gine hood and checking the brake fluid.
- Driving with low brake fluid is a safety
hazard! Stop the car and get profess ional
assistance.
- USA models:: If both, the 1111 warning
light and
the m warning light come
on at the same time, the rear wheels
could lock up first under hard braking.
Lock-up of the rear wheel brakes can
cause loss of vehicle cont rol and an acci­
dent. Have your vehicle repaired

14 Instrum ent s and w arn ing /indic ato r light s
immediately by your authorized Audi
dealer or a qualified workshop. Dr ive
slowly and avoid sudden, hard brake ap­ plicat ion.
- Canada models: If both, the brake warn­
ing light . and the ABS warning light
Ii] come on at the same t ime, the rear
wheels could lock up first under hard braking. Lock-up of the rear wheel brakes
can cause loss of vehicle control and an
acc ident. Have you r vehicle repaired im­
med iately by your authorized Audi dealer
or a q ualified workshop. Drive slowly and
avoid sudden, hard brake application
- If the brake warning/indicator light does not go out after a few seconds and the
park ing brake re leased, or lights up while
you are driving, the fluid level in the brake flu id reservo ir is too low. If you be­
lieve that it is safe to do so, proceed im­
med iately at low speed to the nearest
authorized Audi dealer o r qualified work­
shop and have the bra ke system inspect­
ed.
- Always keep in m ind that afte r several
brake applicat ions, yo u will need g reater
pressure on the b rake peda l to s top your
vehicle. Do no t re ly on stra ined brakes to
respond with maxim um stopping power
in critical situations . You must allow for
increased brak ing distances. The extra
distance used up by fad ing brakes could
lead to an acc ident.
~ / ! .!r Safety systems
The I (USA models)/ . (Canada mode ls) in­
d icator light monitors the safety systems e.g.
a ir bags, pretensioners a nd illum inates for a
few seconds each time you switc h the ign ition
on.
If the
I (USA models)/ . (Canada models)
indicator light does not go out, or if it illumi­
nates w hile you are driv ing, or if it sta rts to
b link , then there is a ma lf u nction somewhere
in the system. If the light does not illuminate
when you switch on the ignition, this also
means there is a ma lfunction.
A WARNING
If you have a ma lfunction in the safety sys­
tems, contact your authorized Audi dea ler
i mmediately. Othe rwise the safety sys­
tems may not work properly in an acc i­
dent.
4 Safety belt warning light
App lies to veh icles : w ith safe ty belt warni ng l ig h t
The warning light is a reminder to fasten
safety belts .
The warning lig ht . comes on for a few sec­
onds after the ignition is sw itched on as a re ­
minder to fasten you r safety belt .
Additional informat ion on safety belts
r::> page 101.
D Generator '
This warning/indicator light detects a mal ­
function in the generator or in the vehicle 's
electrical system.
The . warning/indicator light i llum inates
when you switch on the ignition and must go
out after the eng ine has started.
If the . warning/indicator light illuminates
whi le you are driving, you sho uld contact your
authorized Aud i dea le r. Since the vehicle bat­
tery is discharging, you shou ld sw itch
off any
unnecessary electr ica l consumers (for exam ­
ple, the air conditioner) .
~ Engine oil pressure
The red engine oil pressure warning symbol
requires immediate service or repair .
If the . symbo l appears in the d isplay and
flashes, the o il pressure is too low . In add ition
to the symbol, the following message a lso ap­
pears in the display:
Switch off engine! Oil pre ssure is too low
.. Pull off the road and stop the vehicle.
.. Shut the engine down.
.. Check the engine oil leve l¢
page 174.

16 Instruments and warning/indicator lights ;;./~ Electronic Stability Control (ESC )
If the J;.j indicator lamp blinks while dr iv ing,
the ESC or ASR (Ant i-S lip Regulation) is active­
ly regulating .
If the
J;.j indicator lamp illuminates, the sys­
tem has switched the ESC off. In this case, you
can switch the ignition off and then on to
switch the ESC on again. The system is func­
tioning comp letely when the indicator lamp
switches off .
If the
I) indicator lamp illum inates, the ESC
was switched off with the
[fil button.
Stabilisation program and ABS fault! See
owner 's manual
If the D.] indicator lamp and thP ¢4:)'A ABS indi ­
cator lamp illumi nate and the dr iver message
appears, the ABS or electronic differential lock
is malfunctioning. This also interrupts the
E SC. The brakes still function with their nor­
mal power, but ABS is not active.
Drive to your authorized Aud i dealer immedi­
ate ly to have the malfunction corrected.
For more informat ion about the ESC
r:::;, page 142.
ABS/(@) Anti-lock brake system
This warning/indicator light monitors the ABS
and the electronic differential lock (EDL) .
The warning/indicator light m (USA mod­
els)
;fl] (Canada models) will come on for a
few seconds when the ignition is switched on.
The light will go out after an automatic check
sequence is completed .
There is a malfunction in the ABS when:
-The warning/indicator light does not illumi­
nate when you switch the ign ition on.
- The warning/indicator light does not go out after a few seconds .
- The warning/indicator light illuminates
wh ile driving.
The ESC indicator light also illuminates if
there is a malfunction in the ABS . The mes- sage
Stabilisation program and ABS
: fault!
See owner's manual
also appears in the in­
strument cluster display and a warning tone
sounds.
The brake system will still respond even
without the assistance of the ABS system.
See your authorized Audi dealer as soon as
possible to restore full braking performance.
For more information regarding the ABS
c:>page 142.
Malfunction in the brake system
If the brake warning light c:>page 13 and the
ABS warning illuminate
together there may be
a malfunction in the ABS, and there may also
be a malfunction in the brake system itself
c> ,&.. The ABS will not work and you will no­
tice a change in braking response and per­
formance.
In the event of a malfunction in the brake
system
the warning/ind icator light _
( U SA mode ls)/ . (Canada models) in the in­
strument cluster flashes
r:::;, page 13.
Malfunction in the electronic differential
lock (EDL)
The EDL works together w ith the ABS . The
ABS warning light wi ll come on if there is a
malfunction in the EDL sys tem
r:::;, page 142.
See your authorized Audi dealer as soon as
possible .
8_ WARNING
-If the m (USA models)@ (Canada
models) warning light does not go out,
or if it comes on whi le driving, the ABS
system is not work ing properly. The vehi­
cle can then be stopped only wit h the
standard brakes (without ABS). You w ill
not have the protection ABS provides.
Contact your Audi deale r as soon as pos­
sible.
- USA models: If the - warning light,
the
Jj) warning light and them warn­
ing light come on together, the rear
wheels could lock up fir st under hard
braking. Rear whee l lock-up can cause
~

18 Instruments and warning/indicator lights
(60 °C) and the engine is at operating tem­
perature .
~. Checking the engine oil level
II! Please add max. 1 qt of engine oil!
If the 1\1 symbo l comes on, add 1 quart (1 li ­
ter) of oil at the next opportunity
¢page 174.
'.!:'.::: ... Engine oil sensor defective
If the II symbol illuminates, contact your
author ized Audi dealer and have the oil sensor
inspected.
t:::J Battery voltage low
(•i Low battery charge: battery will be
charged while driving
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, there may be limited starting
ab ility.
If th is message turns off after a little while,
the battery charged enough wh ile driving.
If the message does not turn off, have your
author ized Audi dealer or qualif ied workshop
correct the malfunction.
Bu Fuel supply too low
When the II] symbol illuminates, this means
there are about 2.6 gallons (10 liters) of fuel l eft in the fuel tank. Time to refuel!
¢page 165.
If the symbol lights up, even when there is
ample fuel in the tank, and the text
Tank sys­
tem malfunction! Please contact workshop
appears in the display, the re is a fault in the
system. Contact a qualified workshop to have
the fau lt rectified .
,;;, Windshield washer fluid level too low
If the I! symbol illuminates, add windshield
washer f luid to the washer system
¢ page 182.
~ Defective light bulb warning
The defective light bulb warning tells you
when a vehicle light bulb has become defec­
tive.
If a defective bulb has been detected by the
system or a light bulb burns out, the~ sym­
bol w ith a message appears in the display to
te ll you which bulb is burnt out and where it is
lo cated. For example :
Rear left turn signal
After 5 seconds, the message disappears. If
you want to recall the message into the dis­ play, press the CHECK button¢
page 8, fig. 3
®·
There are three reasons why the defective
bulb message would appear in the display:
- The light bu lb has burnt out
¢page 214.
-The fuse is "blown"¢ page 213, Replacing
fuses .
-The wire connection to the light bulb is de-
fective.
Have the bulb replaced or the connection re­
paired by your authorized Aud i Service depart­
ment .
A WARNING
-
-Light bulbs are pressurized and could ex­
p lod e while they are being changed ca us­
ing serious personal injury.
- Work with due care when handling the
high-vo ltage section of gas discharge
(xenon) lamps. Failing to do so could re­
sult in death or serious injury!
BRAKE LIGHT!<®> Brake light defective
In case of a malfunction or component fail-
ure, the symbol (USA models)/
$fl (Canada models) can appear. The follow­
ing electrical components should be checked,
repaired or replaced, as necessary:
- Brake light bulbs
- All wir ing connections
- Brake light switch