Monitoring the Advanced Airbag
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Knee airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Side airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Child Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Important things to know . . . . . . . . . . 132
C hild safety seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Installing a child safety seat . . . . . . . . 140
Additional Information . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Vehicle operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Intelligent technology . . . . . . . . 144
Notice about data recorded by vehicle
control modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
E lect ronic Stabilization Control (ES C) . 144
B raking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Rear spoiler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Power steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Dry sump lub rication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Driving with your quattro ® . . . . . . . . . 149
Energy management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Driving and environment . . . . . 153
Break- in period . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Avoid damaging the vehicle . . . . . . . . . 153
Driving through water on roads . . . . . 153
Catalytic converter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Shutting down veh icle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Operation and maintenance . . . . . . . . 154
Trailer towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Vehicle care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Cleaning and protection . . . . . . 156
General information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Care of exterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Care of interior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Fuel supply and filling your
fuel tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
167
Gasoline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Fuel tank. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Checking and filling . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Eng ine compartment lid . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Eng ine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Eng ine cooling system . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Table of contents 3
Battery ... .. .... ... .. .......... . 184
Windshield washer container
188
•
•
Tires and wheels ........... .. . 189
Tires ..... .. .... ... .. .......... .
189
Tire pressure monitoring system
206
Do-it-yourself service ........ . 210
What do I do now? ........... . 210
Tr unk escape handle ........... .. .
210
Vehicle tool kit . .. ............... .
210
Tire repair . .. .. .. ............... .
210
What should I be aware of when
h . t· 7 c
anging a rre . . .. .............. . 214
Jump-starting .. .. ... .. .. ... ..... . 217
Em ergency towing with commercial
tow truck ... .. .. .. . ............ . 219
Fuse s and bulbs ... ........... . 221
El ectr ical fuses . .. ............... . 221
Bulbs ..... .. .. .. .. .. ........... . 222
Technical data ..... ........... . 223
General information ......... . 223
Explanation of technical data ...... . 223
Vehicle identification ........... .. .
223
Weights .. .. .. .... .. ........... .
223
Dimens ions .. .. ...... ........... . 224
Data ..... .. .... .. . .. .......... . 225
430 hp, 4.2 liter 8-cyl. engine ...... .
225
525 hp, 5.2 liter 10-cyl. engine .... .
226
Con sumer Information ...... . 227
Warranty coverages .............. . 227
Operating your vehicle outside the
U .S.A . or Canada ... . .. .. ...... .. . 227
Audi Serv ice Repair Manuals and
literature ... .. .. .. . .. .. ..... ... . 227
Maintenance . .. .. ............... . 227
Additional accessories, modifications
and parts replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
12 Instrum ent s and w arn ing /indic ato r light s
Engine oil pressure too low
¢page 14
Engine coolant level too low/
engine coolant temperature too high
¢page 15
Gearbox malfunction*
¢page 81
Yellow indic ator lights
Yellow symbols indicate a priority 2 malfunc
tion -Warning !
Convertib le top operation ./
¢page 15
Electronic Stabilization Control (ESC)
.f ¢ page 15
Electronic Stab ilizat ion Control (ESC)
.f ¢ page 15
n USA models: anti-lock brake sys tem
~ (ABS) ./ defective ¢ page 16
Canada models : anti-lock brake sys
tem (ABS) ./defective ¢
page 16
Worn brake pads
¢page 17
Tire pressure too low
¢page 207
I Tire pressure monitoring system
11il~, 1 ¢
page206
~ Electronic power control./
~ ¢page17
l!'a USA models: Malfunction Indicator
Bil Lamp (MIL) ¢page 17
Can ad a mo dels: Ma lfunction Indica
tor Lamp (MIL)
¢ page 17
l"ill Engine speed limitation*
lill ¢page17
11111 Check engine oil leve l
lill ¢ page 17
-----
Engine oil sensor malfunction
, ¢page 18
•
Battery voltage too h igh or too low
¢page 18
Low fuel level
¢page 18
• Windshield washer fl
uid level low ¢ page 18
l:J
Defective light bulb
¢page 18
•
USA mod els: Defective brake light
¢ page 18
[ll
Canada models : Defective brake
light¢
page 18
tm
Light/rain sensor defective (automat-
ic headlights)* defective ¢
page 19
B
Audi magnetic ride
¢page 19
--
Ill
Rear spoiler./
¢page 19
•
USA mod els : Speed warning 1
¢page 72
-
•
Canada mod els : Speed warn ing 1
¢ page 72
•
USA model s: Speed warning 2
¢page 72
•
Canad a models : Speed warning 2
¢page 72
rm
Gearbox malfunction*
¢page81
Other indic ator lig ht s
II
II
Turn signals
¢page 19
USA mod els : Cruise control acti-
-
CRUISE
vated ¢ page 19 ll>
Instruments and warning/indicator lights 15
Engine oil level OK
If
the . symbol st arts flash ing 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 .
Instead, con
tact your author ized Audi dealer for assis
tance.
(D 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 pre ssure warning symbol.
starts to flash before you respond to
the low oil level warning
11-By then,
your engine may already have suffered
serious damage.
- L Engine cooling system
A malfunction in the engine cooling system must be repaired as soon as possible .
When the. symbol in the disp lay fla shes,
then either the eng ine coo lan t
temperature is
too h igh, or the coo lant
level is too low. In ad
d ition to the symbol, t he fo llowi ng message
a ls o appears in the display:
Switch off engine and check coolant level
~ Pull off the road and stop th e vehicl e.
~T urnoff th e e ngine.
~ C heck coolan t leve l c:>page 182.
~ Add coolant if ne cessary c:> page 18 3.
~ Co ntinu e dr iving only after the eng ine coo l
ant war ning/ indicato r light goes o ut.
~ Contact your a uthorized Audi dea ler for as-
s istance if necessary .
If the engine coolant level is co rrect, then the
radiato r fan may be t he cause of the malf unc
tion . I
f the generator warn ing/ indicato r light
sho uld also illum inate
c:> page 14, then the
fan belt may be damaged .
_& WARNING
- If you r vehicle should brea k down for
mechanical or other reasons, park at a
safe distance fro m moving traff ic , tu rn
off th e eng ine and tu rn on the haza rd
warn ing ligh ts
c:> page 48, Em ergen cy
fla sher.
-
- N ever op en the eng ine c omp artmen t lid
i f you see or he ar stea m or co olan t es
c a p ing from t he eng ine compar tment -
you risk being s ca lde d. Wa it unt il you can
no lo nger see o r hear s team or coolan t
escapin g.
- Th e engine compa rtment o f any vehi cle
is a dangerous area. Befo re you perform
a ny wo rk i n the engine com partment,
turn off the en gine and allow it to cool.
Follow t he war ning stickers
c:> page 172,
Working in th e engine compartment.
(D Note
Do not continue dr iv in g if the . symbo l
ill umina tes . There is a mal function in the
engine cooli ng system -you c ould damage
your engin e.
~ Convertible top operation
T he ind icator light tu rns o n II
- W hen the convert ib le top opens or closes or
- If the convert ible top did not open or close
comp letely .
T he ind ic a tor light blinks if the converti ble top
cannot open or close
c:> page 38.
;;,/ {); Electronic Stabilization Control
(ESC)
If the G1 i ndicator lamp blinks while dr iv ing,
t h e ESC or ASR (Anti-Slip Reg ulat ion) is ac tive
ly reg ulati ng .
If the
DJ indicato r lamp ill uminates, the sys
tem has sw itched the ESC off. In th is case, you .,.
Set Clock¢ page 24
Tire pressure ¢page206
Computer
c::> page 2 4
Speed warning
c::> page 73
Langu age
c::> page 24
Units (distance, fuel consump-
tion, temperature)
c::> page 24
Lap timer
c::> page 25
Lights
c::> page 46
Wiper (service posit ion)
c::> page 53
Doors (unlocking and locking
mode, for e xample Auto-lock)
c::> page 30, c::> page 30
Check Service c::> page 24
Chassis number
c::> page 223
Keys
Menu off The menu display is hidden and
. the lap timer appears .
Navigating the menu
Use the rocker switch on the windshield wiper
lever and the
I RESET I button to ope rote the
menu and carry out inquiries and selections.
~-- @
Fig. 12 W iper leve r: Co ntrols for the menu d isplay
F ig . 13 D isplay: Start menu
Driver in formation system 23
I Reset I button @ and rocker switch @
c::> fig. 12 fu nctions:
To open the menu
~ Press the I Reset I but to n @ unti l the me nu
disp lay
c::> fig . 13 appears
Selections and settings
~ Press the rocker switch @to reac h a menu
display. The switch is operated the same as
th e display (up/down) .
Entering and confirming
~ Press the I RESET I button @.
Returning to the Start menu
~ Press the I RESET I button longer than 2 sec
onds to return from any menu level to the
Start menu .
U sing the rocker swi tc h, you can selec t the
men us in the display or change settings. A
cu rsor appea rs on the left in front of th e se
lected values.
By press ing the
! RESET I button, you act ivate
the se lec tion you made or confirm the va lues
yo u set.
Sele cted functions are identified wit h
a check mark or are carried out directly .
Mean ings of the symbols i n the display:
Selec
tion bar
>
./
D
Selected funct io n Mea ning
Cursor
C heck ma rk
Box Curren
t Selec
tion
Selected or
Function active
Not selected
Tr ian gle pointi ng Previou s page
up
Triangle pointing IINext page
down
156 Cleaning and protection
Cleaning and protect ion
General information
Regular core preserves vehicle value .
Regular and correct care will contribute to
maintaining the beauty and value of your
Audi. Furthermore, good care may be a condi
tion for substant iat ing a warranty claim
should corrosion damage or pa int defects oc
cur.
Your authorized Audi R8 dealer has a variety
of
dedicated vehicle-care products. Please
make sure you apply them correctly .
.8, WARNING
-Cleaning agents may be poisonous. Keep
them out of the reach of children.
- Heed all caution labels.
- Always read directions on the container
before using any product . Follow the di
rect ions carefu lly.
- Most chemical cleaners are concentrated
and have to be diluted.
- Use spot removing fluids only in well
ventilated areas.
- Do not use gasoline, kerosene, d iesel
fuel, nail pol ish remover or other volatile
fluids. They may be toxic, flammable or
haza rdous in other ways. Do not wash,
wax or dry the vehicle with the ignit ion
on or the engine running.
- Do not clean the undersides of chassis,
fenders, wheel covers, etc. without pro
tecting your hands and arms. You may cut yourse lf on sharp-edged metal parts.
- Moisture and ice on brakes may impair
braking efficiency¢
page 146, General
information .
Test the brakes carefully
each time you wash the vehicle.
@ For the sake of the environment
Select only environmentally friend ly clean
ing products . Leftover cleaning products
should not disposed of in the household
waste.
Care of exterior
Washing your vehicle
T he longer i nsect remains, bird dropp ings,
tree res in , road and indust rial dust, tar, soot
part icles, road salt, and other aggressive de
posits remain on the vehicle surface, the more
lasting their destructive effect will be . High
temperatures, for example from intense sun
li ght, intens ify the corrosive effect.
After the end of winter road salting, the un
derside of the vehicle should be thoroughly
washed .
Automatic car washes
Before going through an automatic car wash,
yo u should take the usual precautions (closing
the windows). If your vehicle has special ac cessories -e.g . spoilers, radio antenna -it is
best to speak to the operator of the car wash
c:> (D .
Only use car washes where the vehicle re
mains stationary and the cleaning equipment
moves aro und the vehicle while washing and
drying . It is not possib le to use car washes
where the vehicle is moved forward on a con
veyer
c:> ,& .
It is preferab le to wash your vehicle in a
brush less carwash .
Washing with a power washer
When washing yo ur vehicle with a power
washer, be sure to follow the operating in
structions for the power washer . This applies
particularly to the
pressure and the spraying
distance.
Maintain sufficient distance from
soft materials such as rubber hoses, sound
deaden ing mater ial, and the parking aid sen
sors* that are located in the front or rear
bumper .
Do not use washers with
a rotating jet or a
nozzle spraying
a high pressure jet of water in
any case. ..,.
Hand washing
When washing your veh icle by hand, fi rst soft
en the dirt with copious amounts of water and rinse it
off as b est you can.
Then clean the veh icle using a soft
s ponge , an
auto gl ove or a low -press ure wa sh bru sh .
Work from the top down -sta rting with the
roof . Use a
s h ampoo only for very stubborn
dirt.
Rinse the sponge or auto glove thorough ly at
fr equent intervals.
C lea n the wheels, doo r sill s and simi lar a reas
last . Use a separate sponge fo r th is.
_&. WARNING
- Car washes with conveyors can damage
the vehicle tires , which could cause the
ti re to lose pressure sudden ly while driv
ing and put you at risk for an accident.
Do not use car washes with conveyors.
- Switch
off the ignit ion when you wash
yo ur vehicle to avo id an accident.
- Protect yo ur hands and arms from sharp
metal edges when you clean the under
body, the ins ide of the whee l wells or the
wheel covers to avoid cutting yourself .
- When washing your vehicle in the winter:
Moist ure and ice in the brake system can
affect the brakes.
- Never wash tires with a jet that sprays
water in a direct stream . T hi s could cause
invisible damage to the tires and weaken
them, even if the spray is from a relative
ly long distance and for a short time.
Damaged and wea kened tires can fail
and cause a ccidents and pe rsonal inj ury.
0 Note
- Never dr ive your veh icle through any au
tomatic car wash that fails to p rov ide e i
the r suff icient clearance for your veh icle
or sufficient tra ck wid th fo r your tires .
Ris k of expensive damage to the veh icle's
u nderbody, tires, and rims!
- As descr ibed in you r Warra nty
& M ainte
nance booklet , damage or malf unct ion
Cleaning and protec tion 157
due to m isuse o f the vehicle or fai lure to
operate the vehicle in acco rdance with
the inst ruct ions of th is Owner's Manua l
wi ll not be covered under warranty.
- Fold the exte rior mirrors flat -there is a
r isk of damag ing the exterior m irrors .
Power folding exterior mirrors must not
be folded in or out by hand . Use the pow
er function!
- Do not wash the vehicle in d irect sun
light . You may damage the paint.
- Do not use sponges designed to remove
insects, rough k itchen sponges , or s imi
lar products . You risk damag ing the
pai nt s urface.
- Do not wash the vehicle using cleani ng
products that contain alcohol when the
e ng ine is ho t. This increases the risk of
damage to plast ic components, such as
c rack ing .
- You should remove deb ris (such as in
sects) from the headlight lenses on a
regu lar bas is, for example when re fuel
ing your vehicle. Never clean the head
lights with a dry cloth or sponge. Use a
wet cloth o r sponge . It is best to use
soapy water.
- Never clean t ires using a nozz le that
sprays water in a direct stream. Damage
can occur even with a relatively long
spraying distance and for a very short
t ime.
- To avoid damaging your veh icle, always
make sure that there is sufficient dis
tance between the spray head and soft
materials like rubbe r hoses, plast ic parts
and sound-deadening materials. Never
aim the spray head a t the same point for
a long time. This also app lies to cleani ng
head lights and pa inted b umpers . Re
member : the closer the nozz le is to the
surface of the material, the greater the
stress on the materia l.
@ For the sake of the environment
Wash yo ur vehicle on ly at spec ia lly de
signed facilities . They can prevent any dirty
water contaminated by oil from entering
Iii>-
•
•
1 78 Che cking and filling
authorized Audi dealer will have to deny war
ranty cov erage un less you present to the dea l
er proof in the form of Serv ice o r Repair Or
ders tha t all sched uled maintena nce was per
f ormed in a t imely manner .
Engine oil consumption
T he engine in your vehicle depends on an ade
quate amoun t of oil to lubricate and cool all
of its moving par ts.
In order to provide effective l ubrication and
cooling of internal engine components, a ll in
ternal comb ustion eng ines consume a certa in
amount of o il. O il consumption var ies from
engine to eng ine and may c hange significa ntly
over the life of the eng ine . T ypically, eng ines
with a specifie d break-in per iod (see
c::> p oge 153) consume more oil during the
b reak-in per io d t han they co nsume after oil
consumption has sta bilized.
Unde r no rma l conditions, the rate of oil con
sum ption depends on the qu ality and vi scosity
of the oi l, the R PM ( revo lutions per m inute) at
which t he engine is ope rated, the ambient
temperature and road cond itio ns. Furthe r fac
tors are the amount of o il d ilution from water
condensation or fuel residue and the ox ida
ti on level of the oi l. As any engine is subject to
wear as mileage bu ilds up , the oil consump
tion may increase over t ime until replacement
of worn componen ts may become necessary.
W ith all these variables com ing into play, no
standa rd rate of o il consumption can be es
tablished or specif ied . T he re is no alternative
to regular and frequent checking of the oil lev
e l, see
Note .
If the ye llow eng ine o il level warning symbol
i n t he inst rument cluster
1\1 lights up, you
should check the o il l evel as soon as possibl e
c::> page 178. Top off the oil at you r earliest
conven ie nc e
c::>page 180.
_& WARNING
Before yo u check any thin g in t he engine
compartment , always read and hee d all
-
WAR NIN GS c::> & in Working in the engine
compartment on page 173.
(D Note
D riving wit h an insufficient o il level is like
l y to cause severe dama ge to the e ngine.
(D Tips
- The oil pressure warning display. is
not an indicator of the oil level. Do not
rely on it. Instead, check the oil level in
your engine at regular intervals , pref
erably each time you refuel, and always
before going on a long trip .
- If
you have t he impression yo ur engine
cons umes excessive amounts of o il, we
recommend that you consu lt your Aud i
deale r to have the cause of your concer n
prope rly diagnosed . K eep in m ind that
th e accu rat e meas urement of o il con
s u m ptio n re quires grea t care and may
t a ke some time. Y our Audi de aler h as i n
st ru ctio ns abou t how to measure oil con
sumption acc urately .
Checking the engine oil level
Applies to vehicles: with manual transmiss ion
Fig . 1 38 In st ru men t cl uste r: E ng in e oi l te m pe ratu re
d isp lay
Fig. 139 M arkers on o il dip stick
190 Tire s and wheel s
-Never mount used tires on yo ur vehicle if
yo u are not sure of their "previous histo
ry." Old used tires may have been dam
aged even though the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to sudden t ire failure
and loss of vehicle control.
- If you notice unusual vibration or if the
vehicle pulls to one side when driving, al
ways stop as soon as it is safe to do so
and check the wheels and tires for dam
age.
(D Note
Please note that summer and winter tires
are designed for the cond itions that are
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
means the comb ined we ight (in excess of
those standard items which may be rep laced)
of au toma tic tra nsmission, power steer ing,
power brakes, power windows, power seats,
radio, and heater, to the extent that these
items are availab le as factory -installed equip
ment (whether installed or not) .
Aspect ratio
means the ratio of the he ight to the w idth of
the tire in percent . Numbers of 55 or lower in
dicate a low sidewall for improved steering re
sponse and better overall handling on dry pavement .
Bead
means the part of the ti re that is made of
steel wires, wrapped or reinforced by ply cords
and that is shaped to fit the rim.
Bead s eparation
means a b reakdown of the bond between
components in the bead.
Cord
means the strands forming the plies in the
tire . typ
ica l in those seasons . Audi recommends
using winter tires during the winter
months . Low temperatures signif icant ly
decrease the e lasticity of summer tires,
which affects tract ion and brak ing ability.
If summer tires are used in very co ld tem
peratures, cracks ca n form on the tread
bars, res ulting in permanent tire damage
that can cause loud driving no ise and un
balan ced t ires. Audi is not responsible for
th is type of damage .
Cold tire inflation pre ssure
means the t ire p ressure recommended by the
vehicle manufacturer fo r a tire of a des ignated
s ize that has not bee n driven for more than a
coup le of miles (k ilometers) at low speeds in
the three hour period before the tire pressure
is measured or adjusted.
Curb weight
means the we ight of a motor ve hicle w ith
standard equipment including the max imum
capacity of fuel, oil, and coolant, air condi
tioning and additional weight of optiona l
equipment.
E x tra load tire
means a t ire designed to ope rate a t higher
loads and at highe r inflation p ressu res than
the corresponding standard tire. Extra load
tires my be identified as "XL", "xl", "EXTRA
LOAD", or "RF" on the sidewall.
Gross A xle Weight Rating ("GAWR ")
means the load -carry ing capacity of a s ingle
axle system , measured at the tire-ground in
terfaces.
Gr oss Vehicle Weight Rating ("GVWR ")
means the maximum total loaded we ight of
t h e vehi cle. .,.