2012 AUDI R8 SPYDER roof

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 .

The rear window can be extended comp lete ly
for cleaning. This is ca lled the cleaning posi­
tion.
E xte nding the re ar w indow into the wind
defl ector po siti on
~ Pu ll and hold the rear window switch
¢fig. 44.
~ Release the switch once the rear w indow
has reached the wind def lector posit ion.
E xte ndin g th e rear window into the
cleaning po sition
~ Pull and hold the rear window switch
¢ fig . 44.
~ Release the switch once the rear window
has reached the wind deflector posit ion .
~ Pull and hold the rear window switch again .
~ Pull and hold the conve rtible top switch
within one second
¢ page 40, fig . 40.
R etra cting the re ar window
~ Press and ho ld the rear window switch until
the window has been retracted .
Ret racting the re ar w indow u sing the one­
touch funct ion
~ Press the rear window switch briefly . There
is no need to hold the switch.
The rear w indow can on ly be operated when
t he ignition is switched on.
The rear window can also be extended or re­
tracted when the convertib le top is closed.
_&. WARNING
- Do not use the rear window to secure car­
go or other objects. This could result in
injury .
- Always pay attention and be careful
when extending or retracting the rear
window . It could cause injury by pinch­
ing .
@ Tips
-Keeping all of the w indows raised pro­
v ides the best wind protection.
Con vertible top 43
- The vehicle must be stationary to bring
the rear window into the cleaning posi­
t ion . The rear window will retract once
you begin dr iv ing.
Convertible top
emergency operation
General information
The convertible top can be closed by hand if
there is a malfunction .
First check if overload protection is active
~ page 41. If this is the case, the convertible
top w ill operate again after a short de lay . Oth­
erwise the following steps must be completed before closing the convertib le top:
~ Act ivate the park ing brake.
~ Open the side windows, if necessary.
~ Remove the key from the ignition.
Emergency loc king is not intended for long­
term use o r long drives . The convertib le top
will not be completely waterproof after using
the emergency locking procedure because the
seals will not be seated correctly. Only close
the convertible top manually in an emergency .
Please see an au thorized Audi R8 dealer to
have the cause of the malfunction corrected .
_&. WARNING
-The ignition must be sw itched off during
the entire closing procedure.
- When positioning the convertible top,
avoid contact with the supports or other
mov ing parts. Otherwise you could p inch
your hands.
- Never drive when the convert ible top is
not locked correctly. The wind from d riv­
ing could cause the convertible top to
open . This can resu lt in injuries and dam­
age to the vehicle.
@ Tips
Have a second person assist when closing
the convert ible top. Opening the storage
bay lid and positioning the conve rtible top
is easier when a second person is assisting.

112 Airbag sys te m
cr ashes that take place a t lower decelerations
as defined in the electronic control u nit
c:::> page 120, PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light.
A lways remember, a chi ld safety seat or infant
carrier insta lled on the front seat may be
struck and knocked o ut of position by the rap­
id ly inf lating passenger's a irbag in a frontal
coll is ion. The airbag cou ld greatly reduce the
effectiveness of the child restraint and even
seriously inju re the child during inflat ion .
A WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child safety
s e at insta lled on the front passenger seat
w ill be seriously injured and can be k illed if
t he front a irbag inflates -even with an Ad­
vanced Airbag System.
- T he inflating a irbag will hit the child
safe ty seat or infant car rier wit h great
f orce and w ill smash the ch ild safety seat
and child against the backrest, door or
roof .
- Never install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
unless the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on. If the PAS­
SENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not
come o n and stay on the inflating airbag
wi ll hit the child safe ty seat or infant car­
rie r with great fo rce and will smash the
c hild s afety seat and child against the
backres t, door or roo f. Have the airbag
system inspe cted immedia tely by your
authorized Audi dealer.
- F orward-fac ing ch ild safety sea ts inst al­
led on the front passenger 's seat may in ­
terfere with the deployment of the air­
bag and cause serious personal injury to
the ch ild.
A WARNING
If, in exceptional c ircumstances, you must
install a forward-facing child restra int on
the front passenger's seat:
- Always make sure the forward-fac ing
seat has been des igned and certified by its manufacturer fo
r use on a front seat
wit h a passenger front and s ide a irbag.
- Never put the fo rward-facing child re­
straint up against or very near the instru­
ment panel.
- Always move the passenge r seat into its
rearmost pos ition in the seat's fore and
aft ad justment range, as far away from
the airbag as possible before installing
the forward-fac ing ch ild restra int. The
backrest must be ad justed to an up right
position .
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
li ght comes on and stays on all the
time wheneve r the ig nit ion is switched
on.
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of serio us inju ry, ma ke
sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light wi ll be displayed whenever a child re­
straint is insta lled on the front passenger
seat and the ignition is sw itched on.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not stay on, per form the checks de­
scribed
c:::> page 120 , Monitoring the Ad ­
vanced Airbag System.
- Never install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
un less t he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
lig ht comes on and stays on. If the PAS­
SENGER AIR BAG OFF
li ght does not
come on and stay on, the inf lating ai rbag
will hit the child safety seat or in fant car­
rier w ith great force and w ill sm ash the
child safety seat and child against t he
backrest, door or roof. Have the a irbag
system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer.
- Always carefu lly follow instr uctions from
child restraint manufacturers when in­
stalling c hild restra ints .
A WARNING
-If, in except ional circumstances, you m ust
i nstall a forward or rearward-facing child
restra int on the front passenger 's seat : "'

but less than the weight of a small adult, the
front airbag on the passenger side may deploy (the
PASSENG ER AIR BAG OF F light does not
come on).
For example, the a irb ag may depl oy if:
- a small child that is heavier than a typical 1
year-o ld child is on the front passenger seat
(regardless of whether the child is in one of
the chi ld safety seats listed
¢ page 132),
-a ch ild who has outgrown child rest raints is
on the front passenger seat.
I f the front passenger airbag is turned off, the
PA SSENGER AIR B AG OFF light in the center
of the inst rument panel w il l come on and stay
on.
The front a irbag on the passenger side may
not deploy (the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not illuminate and stay lit) if:
- a small adult or teenager is on the front pas­
senger seat
- a passenger who is not sitt ing upr ight w ith
their back against a non-reclined backrest
with their feet on the veh icle floo r in front
of the seat is on the front passenge r seat.
If the front passenger airbag deploys, the
Federal Standard requires the airbag to meet
the " low risk " deployment criteria to help re­
duce the risk of inju ry through interaction
with the airbag . "Low risk" deployment occurs
in those crashes that take place at lower de­
celerations as defined in the electronic control unit
¢ page 120.
Please be sure to read the important informa­
tion in the sections that follow and be sure to
heed a ll of the WARNINGS.
_& WARNING
To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag
inflates, a lways wear safety belts properly.
- If you are unrestrained, leaning forward,
sitting sideways or out of position in any
way, your risk of injury is much higher.
- You w ill also receive serio us injuries and
cou ld even be killed if you are up against
the a irbag or too close to it when it in-
A irbag system 11 5
flates - even with an Advanced Airbag
¢page 109.
_& WARNING
A child in a rearward-fac ing ch ild safety
seat installed on the front passenger seat
will be ser ious ly injured and can be killed if
the front airbag inflates - even with an Ad­
vanced A irbag System .
-Although the Advanced Airbag System in your veh icle is designed to turn
off the
front airbag when a rearward-facing child restraint has been instal led on the
front passenger seat, nobody can abso­ lutely guarantee that dep loyment is im­
possible in all conceivable situations that
may happen during the usefu l life of your
vehicle.
- The inflating airbag will hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and will smash the child safety seat
and child against the backrest, door, or roof.
- Never install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
unless the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on . If the PAS­
SENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not
come on and stay on the inflating a irbag
will hit the child safety seat or infant car­ rier with great force and wi ll smash the
child safety seat and child against the
backrest, door or roof. Have the a irbag
system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer.
_& WARNING
If, in except iona l circumstances, you must
install a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger's seat:
- Always make sure the forward-facing
seat has been designed and certified by
its manufacturer fo r use on a front seat
with a passenger front and s ide a irbag.
- Never put the forward-facing child re­
straint up against or very near the instru- ment panel.
~
•
•

-Never remove the upholstery from the
front passenger seat.
- Never disassemble or remove parts from
the seat or disconnect wires from it.
- Never carry sharp objects in your pockets
or place them on the seat. If the weight­
sensing mat in the passenger seat is
punctured it cannot work properly.
- Never carry things on your lap or carry
objects on the passenger seat. Such
items can increase the weight registered
by the weight-sensing mat and send the
wrong information to the airbag control
unit.
- Never store items under the front pas­
senger seat. Parts of the Advanced Air­
bag System under the passenger seat
could be damaged, preventing them and
the airbag system from working proper­ ly.
- Never place seat covers or replacement
upholstery that have not been specifical­
ly approved by Audi on the front seats.
- Seat covers can prevent the Advanced
Airbag System from recognizing child re­
straints or occupants on the front pas­
senger seat and prevent the side airbag
in the seat backrest from deploying prop­
erly.
- Never use cushions, pillows, blankets or
similar items on the front passenger
seat. The additional padding will prevent
the weight-sensing mat in the seat from
accurately registering the child restraint
or person on the seat and prevent the
Advanced Airbag System from function­ ing properly.
- If you must use a child restraint on the
front passenger seat and the child re­
straint manufacturer 's instructions re­
quire the use of a towel, foam cushion or
something else to properly position the
child restraint, make certain that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes
on and stays on whenever the child re­
straint is installed on the front passen­
ger seat .
Airbag system 117
-If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, the inflat­
ing airbag will hit the child safety seat or
infant carrier with great force and will
smash the child safety seat and child
against the backrest, door or roof. Have
the airbag system inspected immediately by your authorized Audi dealer .
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
The front Advanced Airbag System and the
side airbags supplement the protection of­
fered by the front three-point safety belts
with pretensioners and load limiters and the
adjustable head restraints to help reduce the
risk of injury in a wide range of accident and
crash situations. Be sure to read the impor­
tant information about safety and heed the
WARNINGS in this chapter.
Deployment of the Adv a need Airbag System
and the activation of the safety belt preten­
sioners depend on the deceleration measured
by the crash sensors and registered by the
electronic control unit. Crash severity depends
on speed and deceleration as well as the mass
and stiffness of the vehicle or object involved
in the crash.
When the electronic control unit registers a
low severity crash and the safety belt is being
used, the airbag will not deploy. If the safety
belt is not being used, the first stage deploys,
followed by the second stage after a much lat­
er time in the crash sequence.
If the electronic control unit registers a crash
of medium severity, the first stage of the air­
bag deploys followed by the second stage at a
much later time in the crash sequence - re­
gardless of whether the safety belt is being
used or not . In higher severity crashes as reg­
istered by the electronic control unit, both the
first and second stages deploy almost at the
same time .
On the passenger side, regardless of safety
belt use, the airbag will be turned off if the
weight on the passenger seat is less than the
IJII,-
•
•

electronic control unit (the PA SS ENGE R AIR
BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on).
A WARNING
Sitting in the wrong position can increase
the risk of serious injury in crashes.
- To reduce the risk of injury when the air­
bags inflate, the driver and passengers
must always sit in an upright posit ion,
must not lean against or place any part
of the ir body too close to the area where
the a irbags are located .
- Occupants who are unbelted, out of posi ­
t ion or too close to the airbag can be se­
riously injured by an airbag as it unfolds
with great force in the blin k of an eye
¢page 111.
A WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child sa fety
sea t insta lled on the front passenger seat
wi ll be seriously injured and can be k illed if
the front ai rbag inflates -even with an Ad­
vanced Airbag System.
-
-The inflating airbag will hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier w ith great
force and w ill smash the ch ild safety seat
and child against the backrest, center
armrest , door or roof.
- Never install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
unless the
PASSENGER A IR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on . If the PAS­
SENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not
c ome o n and stay on, the inflating airbag
will hit the child safety seat o r infant car­
rier wi th great force and will smash the
child safety seat and child against the
backrest, door or roof . Have the airbag
system inspected immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer .
A WARNING
Objects between you and the a irbag will
increase the risk of in jury in a c rash by in­
terfering with the way the airbag unfolds
A irbag system 119
or by be ing p ushed into you as the airbag
inflates.
- Never hold things in you r hands o r on
your lap when the veh icle is in use.
- Never transport items on or in the area
of the front passenger seat . Objects
could move into the a rea of the front air­
bags during braking or other sudden ma­
neuvers and become dangerous projec­
tiles that can cause ser ious personal in ­
jury if t he a irbags inflate .
- Never p lace or attach accessories or oth ­
er objects (such as cup holders, te le­
phone b rac kets, large, heavy or bulky ob­
jects) on the doors, ove r o r near the area
marked "AIRBAG " on the s teering wheel,
instrument panel, seat bac krests or be­
tween those areas and yo urself. These
objects could cause inju ry in a c rash, es­
pecially when the airbags inflate.
- Never recline the front passenger's seat
to transport objects . Items can a lso
move into the area of the s ide a irbag or
the front a irbag during braking or in a
sudden maneuver. Objects near the air­ bags can become projec tiles a nd cause
in ju ry, partic ula rly when the seat is re­
clined.
A WARNING
T he fine dus t created when airbags deploy
can cause breathing prob lems fo r people
wi th a history of as thma or other breath­
ing cond itions.
- T o reduce t he risk of bre ath ing problems,
those wi th asthma o r other respiratory
conditions s hou ld get fresh air r ight
away by getting o ut of the veh icle or
open ing windows or doors.
- If you are in a collision in which airbags
deploy, wash your hands and face with
mild soap and water before eating .
- Be ca reful not to get the dust into your
eyes, or into any c uts or scratches.
- If the resi due should get into your eyes,
f lush them w ith wate r.
•
•

122 Airbag sys te m
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
A WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning
properly cannot provide supplemental pro­
tect ion in a frontal crash.
- If the airbag indicator light comes on, it
means that there may be someth ing
wrong with the Advanced A irbag System .
It is possible that the airbag will inflate
when it is not supposed to, or w ill not in­
flate when it should.
- Have the airbag system i nspected imme­
diately by your author ized Audi dealer.
A WARNING
If the front air bag inflates, a ch ild witho ut
a child restra int, or in a rearwa rd-fac ing
child safety seat, or in a forward- facing
child restraint that has not been prope rly
installed will be serious ly injured and can
be killed.
- Even though your ve hicle is equipped
with an Advanced Airbag System, make certain that all children, especially 12
years and younger, a lways ride proper ly
restrained for their age and s ize.
- Never install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenge r seat
unless the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on. If the PAS ·
S ENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not
come on and stay, on the inflating airbag
wi ll hit the child safety seat or infant car­
rier with great fo rce and will smash the
child safety seat and child against the
backrest, door or roof. Have the airbag
system inspected immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer.
-A tight tether or other strap on a rear­ ward-facing child restra int attached to
the front passenger seat can put too much pressure on t he weight-sens ing
mat in the seat and register mo re weight
than is actually on the seat. The heavier
we ight registe red can make the system
-
wo rk as though an adult we re on the seat
and deploy the Advanced Airbag when it
must be suppressed, causing serious or
even fata l injury to the ch ild.
- If, i n exceptiona l circumstances, you
must install a forward-fac ing c hild re·
straint on the front passenger seat, al­
ways move the seat i nto its rearmost po­
sition in the seat's fore and aft adjust­
ment range, as fa r away from the a irbag
a s poss ible. The b ackrest mus t be ad just­
ed to an upright pos ition . Make s ure that
the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays on all the time when ­
ever the ignit ion is switched on.
A WARNING
=
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not go out when an adult is sitt ing
on the front passenger seat after taking
the steps described above, have the ai r­
bag system inspected by yo ur autho rized
Aud i deale r before t ransporti ng anyone
on the front passenger se at.
(D Tips
If the weight-sensing mat in t he front pas­
senger seat de tects an empty seat, the
front ai rbag on the passe nger side wi ll be
t urned off, and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
w ill stay on.
-
Care, service and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the airbag system are installed at
many different places o n your Audi . Insta lling,
removing, servicing or repa iring a part in an
area of the veh icle can damage a part of an
airbag system a nd prevent that system from
working properly in a coll is ion.
There are some important things you have to
know to make sure that th e effectiveness of
the system w ill not be impaired and that dis­
carded components do not cause injury or pol -
l u te the environment. ..,.

130 Child Saf ety
Child Safety
Important things to
know
Introduction
The physical princip les of what happens when
your vehicle is in a crash app ly also to children
¢ page 104. But unlike adu lts and teenagers,
their muscles and bones are not fully devel­
oped. In many respects children are at greater risk of serious injury in crashes than adults .
Because children's bodies are not fully deve l­
oped, they require restraint systems especial­ ly designed for their size, weight, and body
structure. Many countries and all states of the United States and provinces of Canada have
l aws requiring the use of approved ch ild re­
straint systems fo r infants and small child ren.
In a frontal crash at a speed of 20-35 mph
(30-56 km/h) the forces acting on a 13-pound
(6 kg) infant w ill be more than 20 times the
weight of the child. T his means the weight of
the child would s uddenly be more than
260 pounds (120 kg) . Under these conditions,
only an appropriate chi ld restraint properly
used can reduce the risk of serious injury.
Child restraints, like adult safety belts, must
be used properly to be effective. Used improp­
erly, they can increase the risk of serious in­
jury in an acc ident.
Consult the child safety seat manufacturer's instructions in order to be sure the seat is
right for your child's size¢
page 133, Impor­
tant safety instructions for using child safety
seats .
Please be sure to read and heed all of
the important informat ion and WARN INGS
about child safety, Advanced A irbags, and the
installation of child restraints in this chapter.
There is a lot you need to know about the Ad­
vanced A irbags in your vehicle and how they
work when infants and children in chi ld re­
straints are on the front passenger seat. Be­
cause o f the large amount of important info r­
mation, we cannot repeat it all here. We urge
you to read the detailed information in this owner
's manual about airbags and the Ad ­
vanced Airbag System in your vehicle and the
very important information about transport ­
ing children on the front passenger seat.
Please be sure to heed the WARNINGS - they
are extremely important for your safety and
the safety of your passengers, especially in­
fants and small children.
.&, WARNING
-
All vehicle occupants and especially chi l­
dren must be restra ined properly whenev­
er riding in a vehicle. An unrestrained or
improperly restrained child could be in­
jured by strik ing the interior or by being
ejected from the vehicle during a sudden maneuver or impact. An unrestra ined or
i mproperly restra ined child is also at great­
er risk of injury or death through contact
with an inflat ing airbag.
.&, WARNING
--Children on the front seat of any car even
with Advanced Airbags can be ser iously in­
jured or even killed when an airbag in­
flates. A child in a rearward-fac ing ch ild
safety seat installed on the front passen­
ger seat will be seriously injured and can
be killed if the front airbag inflates.
- The inflating airbag will hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and will smash the child safety seat
and child against the backrest, door or roof.
- Never install a rearward facing child safety seat on the front passenger seat
unless the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on . If the PAS­
SENGER AIR BAG OFF
l ight does not
come on and stay on, the inflating airbag
will hit the child safety seat or infant car­
rier w ith great force and will smash the
child safety seat and child against the backrest, door or roof. Have the airbag
system inspected immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer.