2012 AUDI R8 SPYDER coolant level

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

224 Index
State of charge ............... .... . 147
Vehicles not driven for long periods . .. 178
Winter operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178, 179
Working on the battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Battery voltage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Before driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Blended gasoline .............. .... . 164
Booster seats ............. .. .. .... . 13 7
Brake system Anti -lock brake system ........ .. .... 16
Brake assist system ......... .. .. .. . 142
Brake fluid ....................... 178
Brake light defective ................ 18
Brake power assist unit ............. 145
Brakes ... .. ................ ..... . 145
Ceramic brakes ............ ... .... . 145
Malfunc tion .............. ... .... .. 13
Warning/indicator lights ....... .... .. 13
Worn brake pads symbol . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Break-in period .............. .. .... . 150
Bulbs ...... ........... ........ ... . 214
C
California Proposition 65 Warning ..... 169
Battery specific ............... .... 180
Capacities ... ................ ..... . 217
Carbon-fiber parts Exterior .. ................. .. .. .. . 157
I nter ior .. ................. .. .. .. . 159
Car care ... .. ................ ... ... 153
Cargo area
refer to L uggage compartment . . . . . . . . 96
Car key .. .... ............... .. .. .. .. 32
Catalytic converter ......... .. .. .. .. . 150
Certification ................. ..... . 222
Changing a flat tire .................. 206
Chassis
refer to Audi magnetic ride ..... .. .... 75
Checking Engine coolant level .......... ... .. . 176
Tire pressure ................. .... . 189
Child restraints
Danger of using child restraints in the
front seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Where can I get additional information
about child restraints and their use? .. 141 Child safety
..... .. ............. .... 130
Convertible locking retractor ......... 138
Impo rtant safety instructions for using
child safety seats .............. .... 133
Important things to know when driving
with children .. .. ................ . 130
Child safety seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Booster seats .... ................. 137
Convertible child seats ............. 136
Convertible locking retractor ....... .. 138
How do I properly install a child safety
seat in my vehicle? ....... ...... .. .. 133
Infant seats ..... ................ . 135
Installing . ................... .... 138
Safety instructions ............. .. .. 133
Cigarette lighter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Cleaning Alcantara (synthetic suede) ....... ... 161
Engine compartment ........... .... 162
Exhaust tail pipes . ............. .. .. 158
Fabrics and fabric coverings . .. ... ... 159
Leather .......................... 161
Matte finish paint ................. 155
Radio and navigation display ..... .. .. 158
Safety belts . .. .. ............. .. .. 162
Cleaning and protection ... ....... .. .. 153
Cleaning the navigation display .... .. .. 158
Cleaning the radio display ............ 158
Climate controls . .. ... .......... .... . 65
Dust filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6S
Heating .......... .... ........... .. 65
Pollen filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Ventilation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Clock ............................... 9
Closing Engin e compartment lid . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Clutch overheating .... ......... ... .. . 19
Cold tire inflation pressure ........ .. .. 187
coming home . .. .. ............... ... 49
Compass mirror ... ... ......... ... .. . 57
Compliance ..... .. ................. 222
Consumer Information . . . . . . . . . . . 97, 219
Contacting NHTSA . ... .......... .. ... 97
Controls and displays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Convertible child safety seats . .. ...... 136