2012 AUDI R8 SPYDER battery

Monitoring the Advanced Airbag
System .... .... .. .... ... .. .. .. . .
Knee airbags . ... ...... ... .. .. .. . .
Side airbags ............. .... .. . .
Child Safety ... ..... ... .. .. .. . .
120
124
127
130
Important things to know . . . . . . . . . . 130
C hi ld safety seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Instal ling a child safety seat . . . . . . . . 138
Addit io nal Information . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Vehicle operation ....... .. .. . .
Intelligent technology .. .. ... .
Not ice about data recorded by veh icle
con trol modules . .... ... .. .. .. .. . .
E lect ron ic Stability Con trol ( ESC) .. . .
Rear spoiler ............. .. .. .. . .
Braking .... .. .. ... . .... ... .. .. . .
Powe r stee ring . .. ..... ... .. .. .. . .
Driving with your quattro ® ... .. .. . .
E nergy management ...... .. .. .. . .
Dry s ump lubr ication ...... .. .. .. . . 142
142
142
1
42
1 4 4
1 4 5
146
147
147
149
Driving and environment . . . . . 150
Break- in period . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Driving through water on roads . . . . . 150
Cata lytic converter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Sporty driving ............... .... . 151
Operation and maintenance . . . . . . . . 15 1
T railer towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 2
Vehicle care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Cleaning and protection . . . . . . 153
Gene ral inf ormatio n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 53
Ca re of exterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Ca re of interior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Fuel supply and filling your
fuel tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
164
Gasoline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
F ue l tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Checking and filling . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Engine compartment lid . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Eng ine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Eng ine cooling system..... .. .. .. .. 175
Brake fluid . ... .. ..... ... .. .. .. .. 178
Table of contents 3
Battery ... .. .... ... .. .. ..... ... .
Windshie ld washer container
Tires and wheels .... .... ... .. .
Tires ... .. .. .... ... .. .. ..... ... .
Tire pressure monitoring system 178
182
183
183
200
Do-it-yourself service . . . . . . . . . 203
What do I do now? . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Tr unk escape handle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Breakdown k it . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Tire repair . .. .. .. ............... .
What should I be aware of when
h . t· 7 c
anging a rre. . .. .............. .
Jump-starting .. .. ... .. .. ... ..... .
E mergency towing wit h commercia l
tow tr uck . .... .. .. . ............ .
Fu se s and bulbs ... ........... .
Electr ica l fuses . .. ............... .
B ul bs ... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .... ... . 203
206
209
212
213
2
13
214
Technical da ta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
General information . . . . . . . . . . 215
Explanation of techn ica l da ta . . . . . . . 215
Vehicle identification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Weights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Dimens ions.. .. ...... ............ 216
Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
R8 Spyder 4.2 quattro . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
R8Spyder5.2quattro ............. 217
Dimens ions .. .... .... .... ... .... . 218
Capacities (approx .) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Consumer Information . . . . . . . 219
Warranty coverages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Operating your ve hicle outs ide the
U .S.A. or Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Audi Se rv ice Repair Manuals and
Li te ratu re . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Maintenance ... .. .. . ... ...... ... . 219
Additional accessories, modifications and parts rep lacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Inde x . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
•
•

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

12 Instrum ent s and w arn ing /indic ato r light s
Safety belt
•
Check engine oil level
¢page 14
¢page 18
ii
Generator./
Engine oil sensor malfunction
¢page 14
¢page 18 '
D
Engine oil pressure too low
•
Battery voltage too h igh or too low
¢page 14
¢page 18
Engine coolant level too low/
II
Low fuel level
engine coolant temperature too
¢page 18
high¢ page 15
m
Windshield washer fluid level low
Yellow indicator lights ¢ page 18
Yellow symbols indicate a priority 2 ma lfunc-
~:)
Defective light bulb
tion -Warning!
¢page 18
11
Convertib le top ope ration
•
USA model s: Defective brake light
¢page 15
¢page 18
I]
Electronic Stability Control (ESC) ./
6
Canada models: Defective brake
¢page 16 light¢ page 18
-
I
Electronic Stab ility Control (ESC) ./
m
Light/rain sensor defe ctive (a utomat-
¢ page 16 ic headlights)* defective ¢ page 19
~ USA models: anti-lock brake system
(ABS) ./ defective ¢ page 16
B
Audi magnetic ride
¢page 19
•
Canada model s: anti-lock brake sys-
E
Rear spoiler./
tern (ABS)./ de fec tive ¢
page 16
¢page 19
•
Worn brake pads
~
USA model s: Speed warning 1
¢page 17
¢page29
g
Tire pressu re too low
•
Canada models : Speed warning 1
¢page 201
¢page29
I Tire pressure monitoring system
~
USA models: Speed warning 2 111115' 200
¢ page
¢page29
rm
Electronic power con trol ./
Canada models : Speed warning 2 ¢page 17
•
¢page29
B
USA models: Malfunction Indicator
Lamp (MIL)¢
page 17 Selector lever defective*
No reverse gear*
g
Canada models: Ma lfunction lndica-¢page 19
tor Lamp (MIL) ¢ page 17 ffl;O Clutch is overheating*
.,
Engine speed limitation* ¢page 19
¢page 17
R
Gearbox malfunction*
¢page 19

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

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 .

Master key with remote control
The remote control allows you to lock or un­
lock the vehicle electronically .
The transmitter and battery are located in the
head of the remote control. The receiver is lo­
cated inside the vehicle . The maximum effec ­
tive range depends on several things . Remem­
ber, if the battery is wea k, the effective range
decreases.
If you need to replace the remote control, or if
you need to have it repaired, you must see
your authorized Audi dealer. Only then can
you use the key again.
(D Tips
- If the ignition is sw itched on, the remote
control system is deactivated .
- The remote control system can be affect­
ed by other systems operating in the
same frequency range close to the vehi­
cle, such as mobile telephones, televi­
sion broadcasting stations, etc.
- Fo r Declaration of Compliance to United
States FCC and Indus try Canada regula­
tions
¢ page 222.
Resetting the remote control
The remote control must be reset if the vehi­
cle does not unlock.
• Press the unlock@ button on the remote
control.
• Within 30 seconds, unlock or lock the vehi­
cle once at the door lock using the stem of
the remote control key.
• Press the unlock button~ or the lock but­
ton ~.
Opening and closing 33
Master key battery replacement
Each master key contains a battery housed
under the cover.
Fig . 29 Remote master key: opening t he cover
We recommend having the battery changed
by an authorized Audi dea ler . However, if you
wish to rep lace the dead battery yourse lf, pro­
ceed as follows:
• Pry apart the base
~ fig. 29@and the cov-
er@ carefully with a coin .
• Remove the cover (arrow).
• Remove the dead battery from the cover.
• Insta ll the new battery. Please make certain
that the"+" sign on the battery faces down
in the cover. Correct polarity is shown on the
cover .
• Place the cover w ith the new battery on the
key base and press both parts together .
@ For the sake of the environment
Dispose of dead batteries properly so as
not to pollute the environment.
(D Tips
The replacement battery must be the
same specification as the origina l.
Electronic immobilizer
The immobilizer helps to prevent unauthor­
ized use of your vehicle .
A computer chip inside your key automatically
deactivates the electronic immobilizer when
you insert the key in the ignition lock . When
you remove the key from the ignit ion lock, the
II>