2012 AUDI R8 SPYDER check engine light

8 Instruments and warning/indicator lights
Instruments and warning/indicator Lights
Instruments
Instrument cluster and controls
The instrument cluster is your central source of information.
Fig. 3 Overv iew of the inst rument cluster
(D Eng ine oil temperature . . . . . . . 8
@ Tachometer with time and date
display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9, 9
® Warning/indicator lights . . . . . 11
© Coolant temperature gauge . . . 9
® Fuel gauge........... .... .. 10
@ Speedometer w ith odometer . . 10
(i) Voltmeter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
@ Set/Check button . . . . . . . . . . . 9
® Driver information display . . . . 21
@ I RESET ! button for trip odome-
ter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
The illumination for the instrument cluster
lights up whenever you switch on the ignition
with the
vehicle headlights off. The gauges
are also illuminated when the lights are
turned on.
Engine oil temperature display
The engine oil temperature display Q page 8,
fig. 3 only operates with the ignition on . To
prevent engine damage, please observe the
following important points concerning the
temperature ranges.
Cold range
If the needle is at the bottom of the gauge,
the engine oil has not reached operat ing tem­
perature yet . Avoid high engine speeds, full
throttle applicat ions and heavy engine loads .
Normal range
The engine has reached operating tempera­
ture when the needle moves into the center of
the gauge under normal driving conditions .
The needle may move higher on the gauge
with heavier engine load at high outs ide tem­
peratures. This is not a cause for concern as
long as the . indicator light in the display
does not flash.
Warning light .
If the symbol . in the display flashes, ei­
ther the engine oil temperature is too high or
the engine o il level is too low
Q page 174 .
If
the needle is well in the upper area of the
gauge, the engine oil temperature is too high .
Stop the vehicle, switch the engine off and
allow it to cool.
If the warning l ight comes on
again after driving a short distance, contact
an authorized Audi dea ler.

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

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

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.

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.

Instrument s and warnin g/indic ator ligh ts 17
loss of vehicle control and an accident.
Have your vehicle repaired immediately
by your authorized Aud i dealer or a quali­
fied workshop . Drive slowly and avoid
sudden, hard brake applications.
- Canada models: If the brake warn ing
light ., the
DJ warning light and the
ABS wa rning light
rii] come on together,
the rear wheels could lock up first unde r
hard bra king. Rear wheel lock-up can
cause loss of vehicle control and an acci­
dent. Have yo ur vehicle repaired immed i­
ately by your authorized A udi dealer or a
qualified workshop . Drive slowly and
avoid sudden, hard brake applicat ions.
(0 ) Worn brake pads
r;J Check b rak e pads!
If the warning light illum inates, immediately
contact your authorized A udi dealer or quali­
fied workshop to have all brake pads inspect­
ed. On USA models the warning light
r;J
comes on together with the war ning light
- · Both sets of brake pads on an axle
must always be replaced at the same time .
A WARNING
Driv ing with bad brakes can cause a coll i­
sion and serious personal injury .
- If the warning light
r;J and the warning
light -
1l with the message Brake
p ad s!
comes on in the i nstr ument cluster
display, immedia tely contact your au­
tho rized Audi dea le r or qualified work­
shop to have a ll brake pads checked or
replaced if necessary.
EPC Electronic power control
This warning/indicator light monitors the
electronic power control.
The ~ warn ing/ indica to r light ( Elect ronic
P ower Control) illumina tes when you swi tch
on the ignition as a function check.
1) - : USA mod els only
-
(D Tips
If this warn ing/indicator light illuminates
while yo u are driving, then there is a mal­
funct ion in the engine electronics. Have
the malfunct ion corrected as soon as pos­
s ible by your authorized Audi dealer or
qualified workshop .
~ Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL)
The Ma lfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) is pa rt
of the On-Board Diagnostic (OBD II) system.
T he symbo l
lffl ligh ts up when the ignit ion is
turned on and will turn off after the eng ine
has started and has settled at constant id le
speed. This indicates that the MIL is working
proper ly.
T he warning light ill uminates when there is a
malfunction in the engine electronic system .
Contact your authorized Audi dea ler and have
the malfunct ion corrected.
An improperl y clo sed fu el filler cap ma y als o
c a use the MIL light to illuminate
¢ page 166 .
For more information ¢page 22.
!?') Engine speed limitation
Ma ximum 6000 RPM
The eng ine speed is automatically limited to
6000 RPM. This protects the engine from
overheating .
The eng ine speed limitation
(ll deactivates
once the eng ine is no longe r in the cr itica l
temperature range and yo u have re leased the
acce le rator pedal once.
(D Tips
When co ld, the engine speed is limited to
6000 RPM (w ith the
VlO engine) or
7000 R PM (with the VB engine) to protect
the engine. The limit is deactivated once
the oil temperature rises above 140 °F