2012 AUDI R8 SPYDER sensor

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

18 Instruments and warning/indicator lights
(60 °C) and the engine is at operating tem­
perature .
~. Checking the engine oil level
II! Please add max. 1 qt of engine oil!
If the 1\1 symbo l comes on, add 1 quart (1 li ­
ter) of oil at the next opportunity
¢page 174.
'.!:'.::: ... Engine oil sensor defective
If the II symbol illuminates, contact your
author ized Audi dealer and have the oil sensor
inspected.
t:::J Battery voltage low
(•i Low battery charge: battery will be
charged while driving
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, there may be limited starting
ab ility.
If th is message turns off after a little while,
the battery charged enough wh ile driving.
If the message does not turn off, have your
author ized Audi dealer or qualif ied workshop
correct the malfunction.
Bu Fuel supply too low
When the II] symbol illuminates, this means
there are about 2.6 gallons (10 liters) of fuel l eft in the fuel tank. Time to refuel!
¢page 165.
If the symbol lights up, even when there is
ample fuel in the tank, and the text
Tank sys­
tem malfunction! Please contact workshop
appears in the display, the re is a fault in the
system. Contact a qualified workshop to have
the fau lt rectified .
,;;, Windshield washer fluid level too low
If the I! symbol illuminates, add windshield
washer f luid to the washer system
¢ page 182.
~ Defective light bulb warning
The defective light bulb warning tells you
when a vehicle light bulb has become defec­
tive.
If a defective bulb has been detected by the
system or a light bulb burns out, the~ sym­
bol w ith a message appears in the display to
te ll you which bulb is burnt out and where it is
lo cated. For example :
Rear left turn signal
After 5 seconds, the message disappears. If
you want to recall the message into the dis­ play, press the CHECK button¢
page 8, fig. 3
®·
There are three reasons why the defective
bulb message would appear in the display:
- The light bu lb has burnt out
¢page 214.
-The fuse is "blown"¢ page 213, Replacing
fuses .
-The wire connection to the light bulb is de-
fective.
Have the bulb replaced or the connection re­
paired by your authorized Aud i Service depart­
ment .
A WARNING
-
-Light bulbs are pressurized and could ex­
p lod e while they are being changed ca us­
ing serious personal injury.
- Work with due care when handling the
high-vo ltage section of gas discharge
(xenon) lamps. Failing to do so could re­
sult in death or serious injury!
BRAKE LIGHT!<®> Brake light defective
In case of a malfunction or component fail-
ure, the symbol (USA models)/
$fl (Canada models) can appear. The follow­
ing electrical components should be checked,
repaired or replaced, as necessary:
- Brake light bulbs
- All wir ing connections
- Brake light switch

Instruments and warning/indicator lights 19
Contact your authorized Audi dealer for assis­
tance if necessary.
@ Tips
The brake light switch is only inspected as
pa rt of the functional check after the en ­
gine is started.
@ Light/rain sensor defective
Applies to vehicles: with automatic headlights
The indicator light indicates a defect in the
automatic headlights/automatic wiper sys ­
tem.
If the symbol illum inates, the light sensor has
failed. For safety reasons, the low beams are
turned on permanently with the switch in
AU­
TO. However, you can continue to turn the
lights on and off using the light switch. In the
case of a defect in the rain sensor, the wind­
shield wiper lever functions are still available .
H ave the light/ra in sensor checked as soon as
possible at an author ized Audi dealer.
; Audi magnetic ride
The indicator light monitors vehicle damping.
The indicator light E ill uminates when the ig­
nition is switched on as
a function check.
(D Tips
If the ind icator lamp illuminates while you
are driving, there is a malfunct ion in the
veh icle damping. The chass is should be in­
spected immediately by an authorized Au­
di dealer.
-:;J. Rear spoiler
The warning/indicator light monitors the
electrically retractable rear spoiler .
The warning/indicator light Ii! has the follow­
ing functions:
-It comes on for about 3 seconds as a func­
t ion check when the ignition is switched on.
- It comes on if there is a ma lfunction in the
electrically retractable rear spoiler . Additional
information about the electr ica lly
retractable rear spoiler
r:;, page 144.
,.YI F{ Selector lever defective
Applies to vehicles : with R tronic
g Ii] Selector lever defective! No reverse
gear!
If the symbols are i lluminated, there is a mal­
function in the R tronic selector lever . These­
l ector lever d isp lays go out or flash. It is not
poss ible to engage reverse gear. If you have
been shifting the transm iss ion manually, it
switches to automat ic operation.
You can continue to shift the transmission manually. From the neutral position N, en­
gage first gear by tapp ing the shift button
0
o n the steering wheel. Then the transmission
remains in manual operat ion and you can se­
lect the gears using the s hift buttons.
Have the selector lever checked as soon as
poss ible at an authorized Aud i dealer or other
qualified workshop .
i~Jf Clutch is overheating
Applies to vehicles:
ffl O Clutch: Overheating possible. See own­
er's manual.
If the symbols are i llum inated, the clutch is
ove rheating and could be damaged if you con­
tinue to drive.
Stop your vehicle and allow the engine to run
at idle for several m inutes . This w ill cool the
clutch.
0 Gearbox malfunction
App lies to vehicles: wit h R tro nic
In the event of a system malfunction, R tronic
switches to emergency ope rat ion mode.
[O) Gearbox malfunction! You can continue
driving
You can continue to drive the vehicle. See an authorized Aud i dealer or other qualified
workshop at the next opportun ity . ..,.

Clear vision Lights
Switching the headlights on/off
Fig. 60 Instr ume nt pa nel: lig ht sw itc h (automat ic
head· a nd taill ig ht control)
Switching on the side marke r lights
"' Turn the light switch to ::oo:.
Switching on the headlights and high
beam
"' Turn the light switch to tD.
.,. Push the high beam lever forward towa rds
t h e instrument pane l
Q page 51.
Switching off the lights
.,. Turn the light switch to 0.
Switching on automatic head- and
taillight control
.,. Turn the light switch to AU TO Q fig . 60 .
The headlig hts and tai lligh ts w ill come on au­
tomatically when the ignition is sw itche d on
and the light switch is in the position AU TO
(on ly in nig httime conditions). When switch·
ing off the ignit io n, the headlig hts wi ll go off
and only the side marker lights will remai n lit.
Daytime running lights
USA models: The daytime r unning lig hts will
come on a utomat ica lly when the ig nition is
sw itched on and the light switch is in the posi·
tion
AUTO (only in daylight conditions).
Canada models : Th e daytime runni ng lights
will come on a utomat ically when the ignition
is switched on and the light switch is in the
Clear vi sion 49
position 0 , AUTO (on ly in daylight cond itions)
o r ;oo :.
Automatic head- and taillight control
In the swi tc h p osition AUTO the au tomati c
he ad- and t aillight con tro l is activ ated. Ligh t
senso rs ar e lo cated in t he i nside mirro r hous­
ing and co nstantly chec k the light cond itions
su rroundi ng the vehicle. If ambient bright­
ness fa lls below a factory set value (e .g. when
dr iv ing into a tu nnel), the head- and taill ights
i ncl uding the license plate illuminati on are
automat ica lly t urned on . When ambient
brightness i ncreases aga in, the exte rnal ligh ts
ar e turned off aga in
q &. . In the switch posi­
t ion
AUTO , the low beams are tur ned off when
t h e ign ition is swi tched o ff. Th e rem aining
li gh ts are turned off when the key is ta ke n out
of the ignition lock.
W it h a utomat ic head- and taill igh t con trol,
the h igh-be am fu nction is also ava ilable , bu t
with one rest ric t ion : If you have not sw itche d
the h igh beams back to low beams during a u­
tomat ic head light operat ion (for examp le, af­
ter driving through a tunnel), on ly the low
beams come on the next time automatic
headlig hts are switched on. To use the high
beams, yo u fi rst have to pull the h igh beam
lever back and then push the lever forwa rd
agam .
The side ma rke r lights a nd headlights ca n be
sw itc hed on manually by turn ing the light
swi tc h to the des ired pos ition .
Light sensor malfunction
If there is a light sensor ma lfunction, the
symbol
El comes on in the display . For safety
reasons, the low beams are tu rned on perma­
nently with t he sw itch in
AUTO . However , you
can con tinue to tu rn the lights on and off us­
in g t he light switch . Have t he ligh t sensor
c h eck ed as soon a s possib le a t an au thori zed
A udi dealer.
Coming home/leaving home function
The function is sw itched on w hen the sw itch is
i n the
AUTO pos ition and th e funct ion is liJJ,,

50 Clear vision
shown as active in the driver information
system.
The
coming home function illuminates the
area around the vehicle when the ignition is
switched off and the driver 's door is opened.
The length of time the lights rema in on can be
set in the menu display
(Lights> Exterior
lights > coming home) .
The leaving home function illuminates the
area around the vehicle when unlocking it.
.&_ WARNING
-Never use daytime running lights to see
where you are going. They are not bright enough and will not let you see far
enough ahead for safety, especially at dusk or when it is dark . Be aware of
changes in outside light conditions when
you are driving and respond by switching on your low beams.
- Automatic head- and taillight control is
only intended to assist the driver. This
feature does not relieve the driver of his
responsibility to check the headlights
and to turn them on manually according
to the current light and visibility condi­
tions. For example, fog and rain cannot
be detected by the light sensors. Conse­
quently, always switch the headlights on
under these weather conditions and
when driving in the dark .
- Crashes can happen when you cannot see
the road ahead and when you cannot be
seen by other motorists .
-Always turn on the headlights so that you can see ahead and so that others can see your car from the back.
- Please observe legal regulations when
using the lighting systems described .
@ Tips
-Always observe the specific local regula­
tions for your area when to use your lights .
- Turn on low beams as evening ap­
proaches or in conditions of poor visibili­
ty. -
Do not attach stickers to the windshield
in front of the sensors as this can disable
the automatic head- and taillight control
and the automatic glare-dimming of the
rearview mirror(s)*.
- If you remove the ignition from the igni­
tion lock while the headlights are still
on, a buzzer will sound as long as the
driver's door is open to remind you to
turn off the lights .
- In the AUTO mode, the low beams are
turned off when the ignition is turned
off . The remaining lights are turned off
when the key is taken out of the ignition.
- In cool or damp weather conditions the
headlights may fog over temporarily on
the inside .
- The critical factor is the temperature
difference between the interior and the
exterior of the headlight lens.
- With the main beams switched on, the
light-emitting area will be free of con­
densation after a short time , however
the edges of the glass may still be fog ­
ged .
- This physical phenomenon has no ef­
fect on the life of your vehicle's l ight­
ing system .
Emergency flasher
Fig. 61 Center console: em erge ncy flasher sw itc h
The emergency flasher makes other motorists
aware that you or your vehicle are in an emer­
gency situa tion.
... Press the switch ~
Q fig. 61 to switch the
emergency flasher on or off .
ll>

lever is controlled by a light sensor locat­
ed in the instrument panel. The instru­
ment pane l illumination will a utomat i­
cally become dimmer as the daylight
fades away and eventually will go o ut
completely when outside light is ve ry
low. T his is to rem ind you, the drive r, to
switch on the headlights before it gets
too dark.
- Canada models: instrument panel i llum i­
nat io n w ill stay b right regard less of the
i n tens ity of amb ien t lig ht. Always be
aware o f ch anges in outside light con di­
tions wh ile you are driving. Resp ond in
time to fading daylight by t urning the
l ight sw itch to position
io (or "A UTO" if
your car is equ ipped with this feature) to
turn on your headlights.
Luggage compartment light
The light is located on the right side of the
luggage compartment .
These lights come on automatica lly when the
front lid is opened. The lig hts turn off auto­
mat ica lly if the lid is left open for more then
10 minutes.
Sun visors
CJ
C • -·-·--·,
~
-----____ ,,_
~ --·----"­-------.. ----
~ ---- s;i~~~j
.---~~·-·oiiiiiii------------1
Fig. 6 5 Sun v isor
The vanity mir rors in the sun v isors are eq uip­
ped with covers.
Clear vi sion 5 3
Wiper and washer
system
Windshield wiper
The windshield wiper lever controls both the
windshield wipers and the washer system.
Fi g. 6 6 W iper leve r
The w indshield wiper lever¢ fig. 66 has the
follow ing pos itions:
Intermittent wiping 'Pl (activating rain
sen sor)
.,. Move the lever up to position (D .
.,. Move the switch @ to set the duration of
the wipe intervals or to adjust the sensitivity
of the light/rain sensor .
Low wiper speed
.,. Move the lever up to position @.
High wiper speed
.,. Move the lever up to pos ition @.
One-touch wiping
.,. Move the lever to positio n @, when you
want to wipe the windsh ield
briefly .
Automatic wip er/ washer
.,. Pull the lever to position ® (toward the
steering whee l) and hold .
.,. Release the lever. The washer system stops
and the wipers continue to operate for
about 4 seconds. Different numbers of wipe
cycles are pe rformed depending on how
long t he leve r is he ld.
Turning off the w ipe rs
.,. Move the lever back to position @.

54 Clear vis ion
Moving w ip er blade s to th e service
po sit ion
.. Do not lift the wiper arms away from the
glass when they are in their parked position;
this would damage the paint on the front
lid .
.. When there is a risk of frost, make sure t hat
the wiper blades are not frozen to the wind­ shield .
.. Move wipe r blades to the service pos it ion
¢page 55.
The windshield wipers and washer on ly work
when the ignition is turned on.
To reduce the sensit iv ity of the sensor, move
switch @down . To increase the sens itiv ity,
move the switch up. The higher you adjust the
sens itivity, the faste r th e sensor will react
when i t senses moisture on the w indshield.
The pauses between w iper t urns depend not
only on the sensitivity setting, but on the ve ­
hicle speed as well.
Du ring a temporary stop, e.g . at a t raff ic sig­
na l, the set wipe r speed is automatically re­
duced by one stage.
When the igni tion is tu rned on, the washer
jets are heated.
_& WARNING
- Wipe r blades a re cruc ial for safe driving!
Only when they are in good condition are
they able to clear the windows properly
to provide uncompromising visibility.
Worn or damaged wiper blades are a safety hazard ¢
page 55, Replacing
front wiper blades!
- The light/ra in sensor is only des igned to
assist and support the dr iver .
It remains
entirely the driver 's responsibility to
mon itor outs ide weather conditions and
to manually activate the w ipers as soon
as rain o r dri zz le red uces visibi lity
thro ugh the windshie ld.
- T he windshie ld must not be treated with
water-repe llent materials. They can in­
crease glare under poor visib ility condi­
tions such as wetness, darkness, or when the s
un is low on the horizon . In addi­
tion, they can cause the w indshield w ip­
ers to chatter .
(D Note
In freezing or near freezing conditions:
- Always check that the wiper blades are
not frozen to the g lass before you turn
the wipers on . Loosen a wiper blade
which is frozen in place before operating
the wipers to prevent damage to the
w iper blade or the wiper motor.
- Do not use the w ipers to clear a frosted
window. Us ing the wipers as a conven­
ient ice scraper will destroy the wiper
blades .
- Before you take your veh icle to an auto­
matic car wash, make sure you have the
w indshield w iper system switched off
(lever in position 0), otherwise the w ind­
shield w iper system could get damaged
in the car wash if it should suddenly
come on .
(D Tips
-The windshie ld w ipers are switched off
when the ignit ion is turned off. Act ivate
t he winds hield wipers after the ignition
is switched back on by moving the wind­
shield wiper lever to any position.
- Worn or dirty windshield wipe r blades
cause smearing, which can affect the op­
eration of the light/rain sensor . Check
the cond ition of your windsh ield wiper
blades regularly.
- When the wipers are switched on man­
ually and in ra in cond itions, the auto­
matic headlights turn on¢
page 49 or
off during the day when the wipers are
no longer operating . The automat ic
head lights fu nction is avai lab le in this
case on ly w hen the light switch is in the
"A UTO" posit ion¢
page 49, fig. 60.
- Make su re the washer fluid reservoir is
t opped off before goi ng on a long tr ip.
Look up ¢
page 182 for checking and
filling the washe r container .

-If you switch off the ignition w ith the
windshield wiper lever still in the inter­
val w ipe pos ition and then come back a
while later and drive off , the rain sensor
will reactivate itself after the vehicle
speed has exceeded 4 mph (6 km/h) .
Service position
It is only possible to change wiper blades if
you move the wiper arms to the service posi­
tion .
In order to use the windshield wipers, the
front lid must be comp letely closed.
Mo ving w ipe r blade s to the service
position
.. When there is a r isk of frost, make s ure that
the wiper blades are no t frozen to the wind­
shield .
.. Switch the ignition on .
.. Move the w iper leve r to position
0
c::> page 53, fig. 66 .
.. Press the I RESE T I button unt il the Display
type
menu appears in the Driver Informa­
tion System display.
.. Using the rocker switc h and the
!R ESE T I but­
ton, select the
Set > Wiper s > Front > Serv ­
i ce posit io n on
function . The windsh ield
wiper arms move to the service pos ition.
Moving w ipe r blade s to park po siti on
.. Make certain that the w ipe r arms are ly ing
against the w indshie ld .
.. Switch the ignition on and move the wiper
lever from position
O to 4 c::> page 53 ,
fig.
66. The wiper arms will move back to
t h e park pos ition .
(D Note
Never drive your vehicle when the wind­
shie ld w iper arms are in the service pos i­
tion and pulled away from the windshie ld.
When you dr ive faster than
4 mp h (6 km/
h), the w iper arms automat ica lly re turn to
t he par k position and could ca use pa int
damage to the front lid! Clear
vi
sion 55
@ Tips
- Yo u can also turn on t he service posit ion,
for example, if yo u want to protect the
w indshield from icing by using a cover.
- Th e service posit ion moves to
off a uto­
matically when you operate the wind­
shield wiper lever, or speed exceeds
4 mph (6 km/h).
Replacing front wiper blades
Wiper blades in good condition help keep the
windshield clear.
.-- --------..
Fig. 67 Unl atching w ipe r blade s
'
@
Fig. 6 8 Remov ing w iper b lades
Removing the wiper blade
.. Move the wipers to the service pos ition
c::> pageSS .
.. Fold the w indshie ld w iper arm away from
the glass .
0
i ,:. .., m
.. On the upper end of the wiper arm at the
corr uga tion, squeeze the p lastic ret ainer to­
gethe r on both s ides in the direction of the
arrow
c::> fig. 67.
.. Rotate the wiper b lade in the d irect ion of
the arrow @
c::> fig. 68 away from the wiper
arm .
.. Lift the wiper b lade off in the direction of
t he arrow @.