2012 AUDI R8 SPYDER ESP

This owner's manual contains important infor­
mation, tips, suggestions , and warnings for
the use of your vehicle.
Make sure that this owner 's manua l is always
l ocated in the vehicle . This is especially impor­
tant if you allow other people to drive the ve­
hicle, or if you sell it.
This owner's manua l describes the
equipment
range
specified for this model at the editoria l
deadline date. Some of the equipment descri­ bed here will only be available at a later date,
or only in spec ific markets.
Some sections in this owner's manua l do not
apply to a ll vehicles . In that case, the
range of
applicability
is g iven at the beginning of the
section, e.g. "Applies to vehicles: with R tron­ ic". In addition, optional equipment is ind icat­
ed by an asterisk
"*" .
The details in the illustrations may be differ­
ent from those in your vehicle, and are intend­
ed to be viewed as a bas ic guide.
Please note that the
pictures in this manual
show the E uropean Audi RB model. It may
show features not ava ilable in North America.
You will find a
table of contents at the begin­
ning of this book, which disp lays all topics de­
scribed in this manual in order of appearance.
You will f ind an alphabetical
index at the end
of this book.
A ll
directions , such as "left", " right", "front",
"back", are relative to the direct ion of travel.
* optional equipmen t
~ This section continues on the next page .
® Reg istered trademarks are identified with
a®.
If this symbol is missing, it is no gua r­
antee that the terms can be used freely.
c:> .&. Cross -reference to a "WARNING!" with-
in a sect ion. For ind ication with a page num­
ber, the corresponding "WARNING!" can be
found outside of the section.
About this Owner 's Manual 5
A WARNING
Text with this symbol conta ins important
information on safety and how to reduce
the r isk of personal injury or death.
@ Note
Text with th is symbo l draws your attention
to potentia l sources of damage to your ve­
hicle.
® For the sake of the environment
Text with th is symbo l conta ins information
about the environment and how you can
help protect it.
(D Tips
Text with th is symbo l contains specia l tips
and other informat ion about gett ing the
most out of your vehicle and its features.
•
•

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.

Instruments and warning/indicator lights 15
~ Cont act your a uth orized Audi dea ler fo r as -
s istance if necessary.
Engine oil level too low
If th e e ngine o il level is too low, to p off o il to
the prope r leve l
¢page 174 .
Engine oil level OK
If th e . symbol sta rts flas hing again even
though the engine oil leve l checks O K on the
d ipst ick ,
do not start driving again and do
not let the engine run at idle .
In stea d, con­
t a ct your author ized A udi de aler for assis­
tance.
@ Tips
- The engine oil pressure symbol. is
not an indicator for a low engine oil lev ­
el. Do not rely on it. Instead, check the
oil level in your engine at regular inter­
vals , preferably each time you refuel,
and always before going on a long trip.
- The yellow oil level warning indication
1/1 requires oil refill or workshop serv ­
ice without delay. Do not wait until the
red oil pressure warning symbol.
starts to flash before you respond to
the low oil level warning
Ill. By then,
your engine may already have suffered
serious damage.
-L Engine cooling system
A malfunction in th e engine cooling system
must b e re paired as so on as possibl e.
W hen th e . symbol in t he d isp lay flashes,
the n either the eng in e coolan t
temperature is
too h igh, or the coo lant
le vel is too low . In ad­
d ition to the symbol, the fo llowing message
al so a ppe ars i n the dis pla y:
Switch off engin e and check coolant level
~ Pull off the road and stop the vehicle.
~ Turn off t he e ngine.
~ Check coo lant level c> page 176.
~ Add coolant if necessa ry¢ page 177 .
~ Contin ue dr iving only after the eng ine cool­
an t war ning/ indica to r li ght goes o ut.
~ Contact yo ur autho rized A udi d eale r for as -
sistance if necessa ry .
If the engi ne coo lant level is correct, then t he
r adi ator fan may be the ca use of the mal func ­
tion .
If the ge nera tor war ning/ indica to r li ght
sho uld al so illum ina te
¢ page 14 , then the
f an bel t may be d amaged .
A WARNING
-If you r vehicle should brea k dow n for
mec hanical or other reaso ns, par k at a
safe distance fr om moving traffic, tu rn
off the eng ine and tu rn on the haza rd
warn ing lig hts ¢
page SO , Emergency
flash er.
-
- Never ope n the eng ine co mpartment lid
if y ou see or hea r steam o r co olant es­
cap ing from t he eng in e compar tment -
you ris k being sca lded . Wait until you can
no lon ger see o r hear steam o r coolant
esc ap ing .
- Th e engi ne co mpartm ent of a ny vehicle
i s a dange rous are a. B efo re you perf orm
an y w ork in t he engi ne c om par tm ent,
t ur n off the eng ine an d allow it to coo l.
F ollow t he war ning stickers
c> page 169,
W orking in the engine compartment .
(D Note
Do not con tinue dr iv in g if the . symbol
ill umina tes . The re is a mal func tion in the
engine c oo ling system -you could dama ge
your engine .
~ Convertible top operation
The indicator light tu rns or, f!4
-When the converti ble to p opens or closes or
- If t he conver tible to p d id no t open o r close
comp letely.
T he in dica tor light blinks if the co nvertib le top
can not open or close ¢
page 41.

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
~

Driver information
system
Introduction
The Driver information display inside the in­
strument cluster provides you, the driver,
with important information .
Fig. 6 Instrument cl uster: ce nte r display
Fig. 7 Wiper lever: controls fo r the menu d isplay
Center display
W ith the ignition on, the display in the Dr iver
I nforma tion System shows the fo llow ing in­
formation :
- CD inserted or Radio station set
- Outs ide temperature: At temperatures be-
low 41
°F (+S 0 (), a snowflake symbol ap­
pears in front of the temperatu re display
c:> &_ .
-Wa rning when a door, the engine compa rt-
me nt lid or the trun k lid is not closed.
Additional functions
You can ope n the following functions i n the
Driver Information System display by p ressing
the
! RESET I button ¢ fig. 7 one or more times:
T rip computer
¢ page 23
Digital speedometer
Dr iver in formation system 21
Gear indicato r
Lap timer
Menu display
c:>page27
<=>page25
The speed warning system is also displayed in
the Driver Information System. You can read how to set it in ¢
page 29 .
Auto Check Control
Some f unctions and vehicle components are
scanned for their operating stat us when yo u
switc h the ign ition on and whi le you are driv­
ing. Malfunctions or required service proce­
dures are s ignaled audib ly and ind icated by
red and yellow il luminated symbols and re­
minde rs in the disp lay.
_&. WARNING
-
- N ever re ly exclusively on the o utside
temperat ure display to determ ine i f a
road surfa ce is icy or not. Keep in mind
that road surfaces, espec ia lly bridges
and overpasses, co uld be ice covered and
slippery even at an outside temperature
above 41
°F (+5 °().
- Always remember, even if the "snow­
f lake" symbo l (ice warning) does not ap­
pea r in the d isp lay, black ice cou ld be on
the road.
- Always reduce your speed and drive with
special care in cold weathe r cond itions
when the chance of encountering icy
road surfaces inc reases.
@ Tips
- On vehicles with R tronic*, the rem inders
do not appea r in the disp lay until you se­
lect a gear.
- On vehicles with Audi Nav igat io n system,
the displays may d iffe r from their normal
appearance duri ng nav iga tion .

22 Driver in formation sy ste m
Service interval display
The service interval display reminds you when
your next service is due.
Fig. 8 Section of instr ume nt cluster : Service inte rva l
display
The schedule for the next oil change or inspec­
tion is calculated automatically and displayed
according ly. The display works in two stages :
Service rem inder
30 days before the next service is due, a serv­
ice reminder appears in the display when you
turn on the ignition.
After abo ut
S seconds the display sw itches
back to normal. The d istance and time re­
maining are updated eac h time the ignition is
turned on until the date due for service is reached .
Service due
When the due date for service is re ached , the
message
S erv ice due! appears in the instru­
ment cluster immediately after you tu rn on
the ignition. Additionally, a warn ing tone
sounds . After about
S seconds the display
switches back to normal.
Calling up th e servic e schedule s
If or when an oil change or inspection is due,
can be shown in the instrument cluster by se­
l ecting the service interval display . Select
C heck > Service > Oil chang e or Service by us­
ing the
! R ESE T I button and the rocker switch
c;,page25, fig.12.
Re setting the ser vice in te rv al di spla y
Your authorized A udi dealer w ill reset the cor­
responding service sched ule after perform ing the appropr
iate service on your veh icle. You
also have the possibi lity to reset the oil
change schedule after hav ing performed an
o il change according to Aud i specif ications.
- Switch the ignition on.
- Pull the knob
¢ fig . 8 . The message . Service
due!
appears .
- Pull the knob until the display
Oi l change in
----- mi ( km)·-- day s
appears. If the I RESET I
button is not pu lled w ithin 5 seconds, the
disp lay reset mode closes .
(D Note
If you disconnect t he battery term inals, no
ca lcula tions can be made for the service
i nterval disp lay during th is time and no
service reminder will appear. Remember
that observing the proper service intervals
i s vitally important to extending the life of
your vehicle, pa rticularly the engine, and
maintain ing its value . Eve n if the mileage
drive n is low, t he maximum period of one
year from one servi ce to the next m ust no t
be exceeded.
(D Tips
- Do not reset the display b etwee n oil
changes, othe rwise the disp lay w ill be in­
correc t.
- The information in the Service Reminder
remains stored eve n when t he vehi cle
ba ttery is disconnec ted.
On-Board Diagnostic
system (OBD)
Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL )
The Ma lf u nction Indi cato r Lamp ( MIL) II is
part of the On- Board Diagnostic (OBD II) sys ­
tem.
T he wa rni ng lig ht illuminates when the re is a
malfunction in the engine elect ro ni c system .
A mal func tion may have va rious causes :
- The f uel f iller cap may be improperly closed
c;, page 166. ..,.

24 Driver information system
Total-trip memory (Trip computer 2 )
Unlike the single -t rip memory, t he tota l-trip
memory is not rese t autom atically. This per ­
mits you to eval uate your d riving data for the
enti re pe riod between manual resets.
Fuel range
The e stima ted cruising ra nge in miles (km)
ap pears in the display. The disp lay ch anges in
increments of 6 miles ( 10 km) .
Average fuel mileage
The average fuel economy in MPG (l/ 100 km)
si nce you last clea red the memory appears i n
this displ ay .
Current fuel mileage
The instantaneous fuel consumption in miles
pe r gallo n (l/ 100 km) is shown in this d isplay .
When the ve hicle is stationary, the most r e­
cent fuel consumpt ion is di splayed.
Average speed
The average speed in mph (km/h) si nce the
last time the disp lay was reset appears in the
d isplay .
Elapsed time
The length of time that you have been driving
since you last reset the memo ry appears in
this display. The maximum time period that
can be recorded is 999 hou rs and 59 mi nutes.
Distance
The elapsed distance since the last time the
memory was clea red appears i n the display .
The maximum d istance that can be recorded
i s 9,999.9 m iles (9,999 .9 ki lometers) .
@ Tips
All stored values will be lost if the vehicle
battery is disc onnected .
Operation
The trip computer is controlled by two
switches on the windshield wiper lever .
----@
Fig . 11 W ipe r arm/w iper lever: co ntro ls for t he t rip
computer
Select ing the trip computer
.. Tap the I RESE T I button @ unti l the t rip
computer (memory level 1 or 2) appears in
the display
c:> page 23, fig . 10 .
Selecting the functions
., u,
8 ,;.
~
.. Push in t he up per (lower) protr usio n on t he
fu nction selector sw itch ®
c:> fig. 11 . The
functions fo r th e tr ip comp ute r are dis­
played in succession on t he respective mem­
ory leve ls.
Resetting the fun ction to zero
.. Push the I RESET ! button @ for at least two
seconds .
You can rese t the following values to zero:
- driving time
- d istance
- average fuel mileage
- average speed
T he tri p computer on ly operates whe n the ig­
nition is on. When you turn o n the ignition,
t h e function that was in use when you last
turned the ignition off wi ll be displayed .
(D Tips
-Yo u can also set the va lues for t he f unc ­
tions to zero in the me nu dis play
(Reset )
c:>page 25.
-All stored val ues will be lost if t he vehi­
cle battery is d isconnected .

32 Opening and clo sing
Opening and closing
Keys
Key set
Fig . 27 Key set
Fig. 28 Remote master key : Indicator light
Your Audi comes with four keys c::> fig. 27:
@ two master keys with remote
control
@ one valet key
© one emergency key
M aster key with remot e co ntrol
You can centrally lock and unlock yo ur vehicle
and start the eng ine with the master key with
remote control. To fold the key o ut and back
in place, press the re lease button
c::> fig. 2 7
(arrow).
Valet key
The valet key only fits the lock in the d river's
door and the ignition lock .
If you have to leave
the key with somebody e lse, yo u are well-ad ­
vised to turn
over the valet key only.
Be aware that the front lid and glove compa rt­
ment can be opened from ins ide the ve hicl e
using the release buttons . Emergency key
T he emergency key is only for tempo rary use if
the ve hicle key s hou ld be lost o r misplaced.
Key replacement
If you lose a key, contact your authorized Audi
dealer immed iate ly to have the
lost key disa­
bled . Be sure to br ing all your keys with you .
If a key is lost, you should repo rt it to your in­
surance company .
Reg istered keys
You can inquire about the number of remote master keys registered to your vehicle
r=> page 25 . In this way, you can be certain of
obta ining all the remote master keys if you
purchase a used vehicle .
St ate of maste r key b attery
When a button is pressed, the check light
flashes
c::> fig. 28. If the check light does not
come on or flash, the battery is dead and has
to be replaced .
Battery replacement
r=> page 33.
A WARNING
--
- Do not leave your vehicle unattended
with the key in the ignition lock. Entry by unauthorized persons co uld endanger
you or result in theft or damage the vehi­
cle. A lways lock all doors and take the
key .
- D o not leave ch ildren unattended in the
veh icle, especially with a ccess to ve hicle
keys. Unguarded access to the keys pro­
vides children the opportu nity to start
the engine and/or activate vehicle sys­
tems such as the power windows etc . Un­
supervised operation of any vehicle sys ­
tem by children can result in serious in­
jury .
(D Tips
If you open the driver's door with the key
l eft in the ign ition lock, a ch ime will
sound. This is your reminder to remove the key and lock the door .