2012 AUDI R8 SPYDER maintenance

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
•
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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 .

40 Convertible top
Convertible top
Convertible top
General information
The fabric convertible top opens and closes
automatically. When it is open, it is stored in
the convertible top storage bay. The converti­
b le top may be opened or closed at speeds up
to 31 mph (SO km/h) .
The convertible top is wind- and wate rproof
under normal conditions . Some moisture may
collect in the vehicle interio r, b ut only under
extreme ly adverse weather conditions such as
torrential rain . That is normal and no cause
for concern.
Follow the cleaning and maintenance instruc­
tions ~
page 156 to ensure the convertible
top remains wind- and waterproof. Also note
the following points:
- Only stow the convertib le top when it is
clean and dry . Grains of sand or coarse dirt
particles can cause abrasions on the conver­
tible top when stowed that can lead to dam­
age to the fabric over time. Stowing the con­
vertib le top when it is damp can cause
marks or permanent mildew spots to form .
- Do not leave the convertible top open for
several weeks or the creases in it may be ­
come discolored . This is especia lly true if the
top was stowed when damp .
- Remove ice and snow before opening the
convertible top . Do not use any sharp edged
objects to remove ice and snow or the con­
vertib le top could be scratched or damaged.
T he rear window may be cleared with a
standard ice scraper.
- T he fabric in the convertible top loses elas­
t icity in sub-zero temperatures. We recom­
mend not opening or closing the convertib le
top when the temperature is below 32 °F (0 QC). The convertible top will not open
when the temperature is 5 °F (-15 QC) or be­
low.
Opening/closing the convertible top
Fig. 40 Center co nsole : convertible top sw itc h
Requirement: the front lid must be closed and
the ignition must be switched on.
Opening the convertible top
.. Pull and hold the convertible top switch un ­
til the top is stowed in the bay and the cover
on the bay has closed completely.
Opening the convertible top using the
one-touch function
.. Pull the switch briefly to open the converti­
ble top completely . It is not necessary to
hold the switch. The one-touch function is
only available at speeds between 4 and
31 mph (6 and 50 km/h) .
Closing the convertible top
.. Press and hold the switch until the converti-
ble top is closed and the latch is locked.
T he indicator light
M! in the instrument clus ­
ter goes out when the top is completely open
or closed.
The side w indows automa tica lly lower slightly
during the opening/closing process.
A WARNING ~
- Never drive when the convertible top is
not locked correctly . The wind generated
by driving cou ld cause it to open, which
could injure vehicle occupants or damage
the vehicle.
- Make sure no one will be injured by the
convertible top supports and other mov­ ing objects on the vehicle when open ing
and clos ing the top .

66 Warm and cold
Functions are set by turning the rotary knob
or switched on and
off by tapping the buttons.
The LED in the buttons illuminates when the
function is active.
Button(s) Meaning Page
Rotary knob Temperature ¢ page 66
CD selection
Switch air con-
Rotary knob ditioning on/
¢page 67
@ ~ off
Fan
Rotary knob Air distribu-
¢ page 67
® tion
~ Defrost ¢page 68
~
Rear window ¢page 69
defogger
I Heated seat
I-"' +I driver/passen-¢page 69
ger side*
~ Recirculation ¢ page 68
l(g]
Switch on
cooling sys-
¢page 68
I tern
Pollutant filter
The pollutant filter (particle filter) ensures
that contaminants in the outside air (such as
dust or pollen) are greatly reduced or stop­
ped. The air is also filtered in recirculation
mode.
The pollutant filter element must be changed
according to the intervals specified in the maintenance schedule so that the air condi­
tioning system's performance is not adversely
affected.
If the filter 's effectiveness is weakened by
driving the vehicle in areas with heavily pollut­
ed outside air, the filter element should also
be changed between the listed services.
Energy management
To prevent the battery from being discharged
and to restore the balance of energy, compo­
nents which require large amounts of energy
are temporarily cut back or switched
off
¢ page 147. Heating systems in particular re­
quire a great deal of energy. If you notice , for
example, that the rear window heater is not
heating, then it has been temporarily cut back
or switched
off by energy management.
These systems are available again as soon as
the energy balance has been restored.
A WARNING ,..__
For safety reasons, it is important that all
windows are free of ice, snow, and conden­
sation. Only then is good visibility ensured.
Please familiarize yourself with the correct
operation of the air conditioning and how
to dehumidify/defrost the windows.
@ Note
- If
you suspect that the climate controls
have been damaged, switch the system
off to avoid damaging it , and have it in­
spected by an authorized Audi dealer.
- Audi climate control system repairs re­
quire special expertise and the proper
tools. You should contact an authorized
Audi dealer in the event of malfunctions.
(D Tips
-To avoid adversely affecting heating and
cooling performance and to prevent con­
densation on the windows, the air intake
in front of the windshield must be free of
ice, snow, and leaves .
- Climate control works most effectively if
the windows are closed. However, if the interior of a parked vehicle is extremely
hot from the sun's rays, briefly opening
the windows can speed up the cooling
process.
Setting temperature
.,. Turn the rotary knob CD¢ page 65, fig. 79
to the desired temperature setting.
To set a lower temperature, turn the rotary
knob to the left. To set a higher temperature,
turn the rotary knob to the right. There are .,..

146 Intellig ent technolog y
Other road users must not be put at risk -
yo u may cause an acc ident!
- Before descending a steep grade, reduce
speed and shift transmission into a lower
gear or lower driving position . Do not
ride the brakes or ho ld the pedal down
too long or too often . This cou ld cause
the brakes to get hot and d iminish brak­
ing efficiency .
- Do not "ride the brakes" by resting your
foot on the pedal when you do not intend
to brake . Thi s may cause the b rakes to
overheat, premature wea r and inc reased
stopp ing distance.
- Under certain climat ic and operating
condit ions such as passing through wa­
ter, driving in heavy ra in or after wash ing
the vehicle, the effectiveness of the
brakes can be reduced . In winter, ice can
accumulate on the brake pads, linings,
discs and drums. Cautiously apply brakes
for a test . Brakes will dry and ice coat­
ings w ill be cleaned off after a few cau ­
t ious brake applications .
- Driv ing for an extended period of time on
salt-covered roads w ithout us ing your
brakes can also affect braking efficiency .
Clean off accumulated salt coating from
brake discs and pads w ith a few cautious
brake applicat ions.
- If you damage the front spoiler, or if you
ins tall a different spoiler, be su re the air
flow to the front brakes is not obstruct ­
ed. Otherwise the brake system co uld
overheat red ucing the effectiveness of
the ent ire brake system.
- Failure of one brake circuit will impair
braking capab ility, resulting in increased
stopp ing distance. Avoid driv ing the vehi­
cle and have it towed to the nearest au­
thorized Aud i dealer or qualified work­
shop .
- Never let the vehicle roll to a stop w ith
the engine shut off .
- If the brake booster is not working, for
example when tow ing your vehicle, or
because the b rake booste r has somehow
been damaged, the brake pedal must be pressed considerably harder to make up
for the lack of booster assistance .
Power steering
When the engine is running, power steering
makes i t easier for the driver to s teer .
Power steering helps the driv er steer the vehi­
cle with litt le physica l effort.
If the engine is not running, the power steer­
ing system is also not working . In this case ,
you wi ll find it extremely d ifficu lt to turn the
steering wheel.
If you turn the steering fully to the left or
rig ht when the vehicle is stationary, you p lace
a very heavy load on the power steering sys­
tem. Turning the steering wheel fully to the left or right will cause noise in the system. It
also reduces engine id le speed.
(D Note
Do not hold the steering t urned fu lly to
the left or r ight for more than 10 seconds
when the engine is running . There is a r isk
of damage to the power steering system .
(D Tips
-In the event of a power steering system
failure, or if the engine is not running
(while being towed), you will still be ab le
to steer the vehicle. However, you will re­
quire more effort to do so .
- If the powe r stee ring system has a leak
or is defect ive , you should immediately
contact a qualified wor kshop .
- The power steer ing system req uires a
special hydraulic fl uid. The power steer­
ing fluid reservoir is located in t he en­
gine comp artment. The co rrect hydrauli c
fluid level is important for proper opera­
tion of the power steering system. The
power steering fluid level is checked ac­
cording to the Audi maintenance service
schedule.

-Have you r vehicle maintained properly
and in accordance with the service rec­
ommendat ions in your Warranty
& Main­
tenance booklet.
- Lack of proper maintenance as well as
improper use of the vehicle will impair
the function of the Emission Control Sys­
tem and could lead to damage.
Sporty driving
Warming up and cooling down
By carefully warming up and cooling down
your vehicle, you can he lp ensure that it is not
overstressed unnecessarily during sporty driv ­
ing.
When warming up, the vehicle is driven at a maximum engine speed of 6000 RPM
(Vl0 engine) or 7000 RPM (V8 engine) in or­
der to raise the engine oil temperature to a minimum of 140 °F (60 °(). The tires also on­
ly reach their full road holding capability once
they have warmed up.
The cooling fan can continue to run in your ve­ hicle after the engine is switched
off. H owev­
er, driving the vehicle to cool it down is part ic­
ularly important. During sporty driving, the
engine and brakes, the exhaust system, and
the t ransm ission all become extreme ly hot.
Before you park the vehicle, you shou ld d rive
it for a few mi les/kilometers at light load in
the low rpm range to allow it to coo l down .
Driving on a track
Before you take your vehicle out on a track,
ensure that it is in perfect condition. For ex­
ample, you should check the tire tread and the brake pads . It is best to increase t ire pressure
by about 0 .3 bar .
When driving on a track, oil consumption may be somewhat higher than in "normal" opera­
tion
¢ page 17 4 .
You shou ld definitely inspect your vehicle af­
ter subjecting it to severe condit ions. Are the
brake pads OK? Is there anything unusual
Dri vin g and en vironm ent 151
about the ti res, including the inner and outer
sidewa lls (e.g . tread, blistering)? Are the air
intakes free of leaves and tire dust? Is the o il
l evel OK?
Your authorized Audi dea ler or qua lified work­
shop will be happy to undertake an inspection
before and after use on the race track.
_& WARNING
-
Some race tracks (e.g. steeply banked
turns) may affect the response of the ESC.
(D Tips
- Review the track requirements and con­
ditions before you start driving.
- When driven on a race track, all vehicle
parts are severe ly stressed. This can re­
sult in increased wear.
Operation and maintenance
Fuel economy, env ironmenta l impact, and
wear on your eng ine, brakes and tires la rgely
depend on three facto rs:
- your personal driving style
- operating conditions
- technical limitations
By havi ng your ve hicle reg ularly se rviced by an
a uthorized Aud i dea le r helps to ens ure that i t
runs properly and economica lly. The condition
of your vehicle not only affects its safety and
ability to ho ld its va lue, it a lso affects
f u el
consumption .
The amount of oi l used is re lated to engine
load and speed .
It is normal for the oil consump tion of a new
engine to reach its lowest value after a certa in
mileage has been driven.
You must drive your veh icle about 3,000 m iles
(5,000 kilometers) before yo u can p rope rly
assess oil consumpt io n.
Th is also app lies to fue l consumption and en-
gine o utp ut.
IJll>
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•

172 Checking and filling
Engine oil
Engine oil specifications
The engine oil used in your Audi needs the
right kind of oil.
The engine in your Audi is a sophisticated
powerplant that was built to exacting specifi­
cations. This engine needs the right kind of
engine oil that meets specifications regarding
quality and viscosity so that it can run
smoothly and reliably. Choosing the right oil
and changing oil within the time and mileage intervals printed in your vehicle's Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet matters a lot more to­
day than it did years ago. Audi has developed
a special quality standard for engine oil that
will help assure that your vehicle's engine will
get the lubrication it needs for proper opera­
tion .
Modern engine lubrication has taken a quan­
tum leap in the last few years. Many synthetic
oils available today provide better engine lu­ brication that can outlast traditional petrole ­
um-based oils, making them a smart choice
for use throughout the life of your Audi .
Whether you use synthetic or petroleum­ based engine oil, the oil that you use must
conform to Audi's oil quality standard
VW 502 00 to help keep your vehicle's engine running smoothly and help prevent the for­
mation of harmful deposits, sometimes called
"sludge," that over time can lead to expensive
repairs.
At the time of printing, engine oils available in
the U.S. and Canada that meet the exacting
specifications of Audi oil standard VW 502 00
are synthetic engine oils. This does not mean,
however, that every synthetic engine oil will
meet Audi oil standard VW 502 00 . So always
be sure that you use an approved oil.
To help prevent the formation of harmful de­ posits use only oil with the following specifi­
cations printed on the oil container :
Audi oil standard VW 502 00
Oil container labels may carry the specifica­
tion singly or in combination with other desig­ nations and oil quality standards.
Viscosity
Engine oils are graded according to their vis­
cosity . The proper viscosity grade oil for your
engine depends on climactic or seasonal con­
ditions where you drive. You can use oil with a
viscosity grade of SAE SW40 across all tem­
perature ranges for normal driving conditions.
However, if engine oil viscosity grade SAE
SW40 is not available, you can also use viscos­
ity grade SAE SW-30 or SAE OW-40 as long as
it meets Audi oil quality standard VW 502 00
specifications.
Because engine oil that meets the Audi oil
standard may not be available everywhere
when you need it, we strongly recommend
that you always carry with you an extra quart (liter) of oil that expressly conforms to the
VW 502 00 specification, in case you have to
top off the oil while on the road.
Only if the level of the oil is at or below the
minimum mark on the oil dipstick - and no oil
that expressly conforms to Audi oil standard
VW 502 00 specifications is available -may
you top off with a high quality engine oil, pref­
erably synthetic-based, that meets ACEA A3
or API SM specifications, but even then, only
in viscosity grades SAE SW-40, SAE SW-30, or
SAE OW-40. However, during the entire time
between oil change intervals, never top off
with more than a total of 1 qt/liter engine oil
that does not conform to Audi oil specification
vw 502 00.
For more information about engine oil that
has been approved for your vehicle, please
contact either your authorized Audi dealer or
Audi Customer Relations at 1 (800) 822-2834 or visit our web site at www.audiusa.com or
www .audicanada .ca. Here you will also find a
current list of oils (manufacturers, brand
names etc.) that conform to Audi oil standard
vw 502 00.
Changing the engine oil

The engine oil and oil filter must be changed
according to the mi leage (kilometers) and
time interva ls specified in your vehicle's War­
ranty
& Maintenance booklet. Do not exceed
t hese intervals -harmful deposits from old
engine o il can reduce engine performance and
can lead to expensive engine repairs .
Changing the o il at the recommended inter ­
vals is so very important because the lubricat­
ing properties of oil decrease gradually during
norma l vehicle use . If you are not sure when
you have your oi l changed, ask your author­
i zed A udi Service Advisor.
Under some circumstances the engine o il
should even be changed more frequently .
Change o il more often if you drive mostly
short distances, ope ra te the vehicle in dusty
areas or mostly under s top -and-go traffic con­
d itions, or when yo u use your vehicle whe re
temperatures stay below freezing point for
l ong periods.
D etergen t additives i n the o il w il l make fresh
oil look dark after the eng ine has been run ­
ning for a short time . This is norma l and is not
a reason to change the oi l more often than
recommended.
Damage or malfunction s due t o lack of
m aintenance
It is essen tial that you change your oil at the
r ecommended inte rva ls using only engine o il
that complies with A udi oil standard
VW 502 00 . Your Limited New Vehicle War ­
ranty does not cover damage or malfunctions
d ue to fai lure to fo llow recommended mainte­
nance and use req uirements as set forth in
t he Audi Owner's Manua l and Warranty
&
Ma intenance book let . Your authorized Aud i
deale r will have to deny warranty coverage un­
l ess you present to the dealer p roof in the
fo rm of Se rvice o r Repair Orde rs t hat all
sched uled main tenance w as performed in a
time ly manner .
Checkin g and fillin g 173
Engine oil consumption
The engine in your vehicle depends on an ade­
quate amount of oil to lubricate and cool all
of its moving parts .
In order to provide effective lubrication and
cooling of interna l eng ine components, all in ­
te rnal combust io n engines consume a certain
amount of oil. Oil consumpt io n va ries from
engine to engine and may change sig nifican tly
ove r the life of the engine. Typically, engines
with a spec ified break -in pe riod (see
¢
page 150) consume more oil duri ng the
break-in pe riod than they consume afte r oi l
consumption has stabili zed.
U nder normal cond itions , the rate of oi l con ­
s u mption depends on t he q uality and viscos ity
of the oil, the RP M (revolut ions per minute) at
which the engine is operated, the ambient
temperature and road conditions. Further fac­
tors are the amount of oil dilut ion from water
condensa tion or fue l residue a nd the oxida­
tion level of the oi l. As any eng ine is subject to
wear as mileage builds up, t he oil co nsump­
t ion may incre ase over time until repla cement
of wo rn components may be come necessary.
With a ll these va riab les coming into p lay, no
standard rate of oil consumpt io n can be es­
t a bl is h ed o r spe cified . There is no alte rnative
to regular an d frequent chec king of the o il lev ­
el , see
Note.
If the yellow engine o il level wa rning symbo l
i n the instrument cluster
Ill lights up, yo u
sho uld check the oil leve l as soon as possib le
¢
page 174 . Top off the oil at your ear liest
convenience
¢ page 174.
A WARNING
-Before you check anything in the engine
c o mpartment, always read and heed a ll
WARNINGS¢
& in Working in the engine
compartment on pag e 169 .
(D Note
Driving w ith an insufficient o il level is like-
-
ly to cause severe damage to the engine. Ill>-
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