2014 AUDI R8 SPYDER instrument panel

46 Clear vision
Clear vision Lights
Switching the headlights on/off
F ig . 52 Instr ument pane l: light sw itch (automat ic
head· and ta illight control)
Switching on the side marker lights
• Turn the light switch to :oo:.
Switching on the headlights and high
beam
• Turn the light switch to ;D .
• Push the high beam lever forwa rd towards
the instrument panel~
page 47 .
Switching off the lights
• Turn the light switch to 0 .
Switching on automatic head -and
taillight control
• Turn the light switch to AUTO q fig. 52.
The headlights and taillights will come on au·
tomatically when the ignition is switched on
and the light switch is in the position AU TO
(on ly in nighttime conditions). When switch·
ing off the ignit ion, the headlights will go off
and only the side marker lights will remain lit.
Daytime running lights
USA models: The daytime running lights will
come on automatica lly when the ignition is
switched on and the light switch is in the posi·
tion
AUTO (only in daylight cond itions).
Canada models: The daytim e running lights
will come on automatically when the ignition
is switched on and the light switch is in the position
0
, AUTO (on ly in daylight condit ions)
or
:oo:.
Automatic head- and taillight control
In the switch position AUTO the automatic
head· and ta illight control is activated. Light
senso rs are located in the inside mirror hous­
ing and constantly check the light conditions
surrounding the vehicle. If ambient bright·
ness falls below a factory set value (e.g. when
driv ing into a tunnel), the head- and taill ights
including the license plate illumination are
automat ically turned on. When amb ient
brightness increases aga in, the external lights
are turned off aga in
q ,&. . In the sw itch posi­
t ion
AUTO , the low beams are turned off when
the ignition is switched off. The remaining
lights are turned off when the key is ta ken out
of the ignition lock.
With aut omat ic head- and taillight control,
the high-beam function is also available, but
with one restriction: If you have not switched
the high beams back to low beams during a u­
tomat ic head light operation (for examp le, af­
ter driving through a tunnel), on ly the low
beams come on the next time automatic
headlights are switched on. To use the high
beams, you first have to pull the h igh beam
lever back and then push the lever forward
again.
The side marker lights and headlights can be
switched on manually by turning the light
switch to the desired position .
Light sensor malfunction
If there is a light sensor ma lfunction, the
symbol
tal comes on in the display. For safety
reasons, the low beams are turned on perma­
nently with the sw itch in
AUTO. However, you
can continue to turn the lights on and off us­
ing the light switch. Have the light sensor
checked as soon as possible at an authorized
A udi dealer.
Coming home/leaving home function
The function is sw itched on when the sw itch is
i n the
AUTO position and the function is ...,

Interior lights
Interior lights
The interior lights include the reading lights
for the driver and the front passenger .
Fig. 55 Section from headliner : In terior lights
Activating door contact circu it
• Press the button @. The LED in the button
illuminates.
Deactivating do or contact circu it
• Press the button @. The LED in the button
goes out.
Fr ont re ad ing l ight s
~
• Press one of the switches ® to turn the
right or left reading light on/off .
"' l1l 0
With the door contact circuit, the interior
lights turn on as soon as you unlock the vehi­
cle or open the doors. The interior lights are
also turned on when the ignition key is re­
moved. The lights turn off about 30 seconds
after the doors are closed . When the vehicle is
locked or when the ignit ion is tu rned on, the
inte rior lights are turned off .
When a door is open, the interior lights are
turned off after about 10 m inutes to prevent
battery draining.
The brightness of the lights is controlled au­
tomatically by a dimmer when they are
switched on/off.
Clear vi sion 49
Instrument panel illumination
The illumination of the instruments, displays
and the center console can be adjusted .
Fig . 56 Instrumen t pa nel illuminat ion
You regu late the brightness of the instr u­
ments with the left thumbwheel
C1 ~ fig . 56 .
Ignition ON, light switch at @
With the ign ition switched ON, the glow of
in­
strument needles
can be adjusted to appea r
brighter o r dimmer.
Ignition ON, light switch at
:oo~ or ~D.
With the lights switched on, the brightness of
instrument cluster (i.e. needles, gauges and
displays) and center conso le illuminat ion can
be adjusted .
(D Note
The instrument cluster and center conso le
ill umination (gauges and need les) comes
on when you sw itch on the ignition and the
v eh icle headlight s are off . Be awa re of the
fo llow ing difference be tween models bu ilt
to US or Canadian specifications:
- USA mo dels: illumination o f the i nstr u­
ment cl uster (gauges and need les), dash
and center conso le around the gearshift
lever is controlled by a light sensor locat­
ed in the instrument pane l. The instru­
ment pa nel illuminat ion w ill automati­
cally become dimmer as the daylight
fades away and eventually will go out completely when outs ide light is very
low. This is to remind you, the dr iver, to
switch o n the hea dlights before it ge ts
too d ark .

50 Clear vis ion
- Canada mode ls: instrument panel illumi ­
nation will stay bright regard less of the
i ntensity of amb ient light. Always be
aware of changes in outside light condi­
tions whi le you are driv ing. Respond in
time to fading daylight by turning the light sw itch to position @,0 (or "AUTO " if
you r ca r is equ ipped with this feature) to
tu rn on your headl igh ts.
Luggage compartment light
The ligh t is loc ated on t he righ t side of the
l uggage compartmen t.
These lights come on automat ica lly when the
front lid is ope ned . T he lights tu rn off au to­
mat ica lly if the lid is left open for more t hen
10 minutes .
Vision
Adjusting the exterior mirrors
Fig. 57 Forwa rd se cti on of drive r' s armr est: pow er mir ­
r o r co ntrols
Turn the knob to the desired position :
Q/P - In this position, you can adjust the
driver's and fron t passenger's exter ior mirrors
by turn ing t he knob in the des ired direction .
outs ide temperature.
8 - The exterior mirrors fold in *
You are well-advised to fold the ex te rior m ir­
rors in when mane uvering in tight spaces or
when leaving the car parked close to other
vehi cles .
A WARNING
--Curved (i.e . convex) m irror surfaces in-
crease your field of view. Remember that
veh icles or other objects will appea r
sma ller and farther away than when seen
i n a flat mirror.
If you use th is m irror to
estimate dis tances of followi ng ve hicl es
when changing lanes, yo u co uld estimate
i n correct ly and cause an accident .
(D Note
-If the m irror housing is moved uninten­
ti onally (for examp le , while p arking your
vehicle), then yo u m ust first fold t he mir­
ror electrically. Do not readjust the mir ­
ror housing manually . You cou ld damage
the motor which controls the mirror .
- If you wash the vehicle in an automatic
car wash, you must fo ld the exter ior mir­
rors in to reduce the risk of damage to
the mirro rs . Never fold powe r folding ex­
terior mirrors* by hand . Only fold them
in and o ut using the power controls .
@ Tips
If there should be a malf u nction in t he
electr ica l system, you can st ill adjust the
ex ter io r mirrors by pressing the edge of
the m irror.
Dimming the mirrors
Fig . 58 Auto matic dimmin g rearv iew m irro r*
Manu al anti-glare adju stment
.,. Move the small lever ( located on the bottom
edge of the mirror) to the rear .
Ill>

Seats and storage
General recommen­
dations
Why is your seat adjustment so important?
The safety belts and the airbag system can
only provide maximum protection if the front
seats are correctly adjusted.
There are various ways of adjusting the front
seats to provide safe and comfortable support
for the driver and the front passenger. Adjust
your seat properly so that :
- you can easily and quick ly reach all the
switches and controls in the instrument
panel
- your body is properly supported thus reduc­ ing physical stress and fatigue
- the safety belts and airbag system can offe r
maximum protection
¢ page 111.
In the following sections, you will see exactly
how you can best adjust your seats .
There are special regulations and instructions
for installing a child safety seat on the front passenger's seat. Always heed the informa­
tion regard ing child safety provided in
¢ page 132, Child Safety.
A WARNING
Incorrect seating position of the driver and
all other passengers can result in serious
personal injury.
- Always keep your feet on the f loor when
the vehicle is in motion -never p ut your
feet on top of the instrument panel, out
of the w indow or on top of the seat cush­
ion! This applies espec ially to the passen­
gers . If your seating position is incorrect
you increase the r isk of injury in the case
of sudden braking or an acc ident. If the
airbag inflates and the seating position
is incorrect this could result in personal
injury or even death.
- It is important for bo th the driver and
front passenger to keep a distance of a t
Seat s an d sto rage 57
least 10 inches (25 cm) between them­
selves and the steering wheel and/or in­
strument panel. If you're s itting any
closer than th is, the airbag system can­
not protect you properly. In addition to
this, the front seats and head restra ints
must be adjusted to yo ur body height so
that they can give you max imum prote c­
tion.
- Always try to keep as much distance as
possible be tween yourself and the s teer­
ing wheel o r instrument pane l.
- Do not adjust the driver's or front pas­
senger's seat whi le the vehicle is moving.
Your seat may move unexpected ly, caus ­
ing sudden loss of vehicle control and
personal injury . If you ad just yo ur seat
while the veh icle is moving, you are out
of posit ion.
Driver's seat
The correct seat position is important for safe
and relaxed driving.
We recommend that you adjust the driver's
seat in the fo llowing manner:
.,. Adj ust the seat in fore and aft direction so
t ha t you can easily push the peda ls to the
floor whi le keeping your knee sligh tly bent
c::> A in Why is your seat adjustment so im­
portant? on page
57 .
.,. Adjust the seatback so that when you sit
w ith your back against the seatback, you can
still grasp the top of the steering wheel.
.,. Pos it ion the head restrai nt accord ing to the
occupant 's height
c::> page 59. For maxi­
mum protection, the top of the head re­
straint shou ld be at least at eye level, pref­
erably higher and idea lly level with the top
of the head
¢ page 96, fig. 103 .
A WARNING
Never place any objects in the dr iver's foot­
well. An object could get into the pedal
area and interfere with pedal funct ion. In
case of sudden braking or an acc ident, you
would not be able to brake or accelerate!

For detailed information on how to adjust the
driver's seat, see ¢
page 5 7, General recom­
mendations.
A WARNING
Drivers who are unbelted, out of position
or too close to the airbag can be seriously
injured by an airbag as it deploys. To help
reduce the risk of serious personal injury:
- Always adjust the driver's seat and the
steering wheel so that there are at least
10 inches (25 cm) between your breast­
bone and the steering wheel.
- Always adjust the driver's seat and the
steering wheel so that there are at least
4 inches (10 cm) between the knees and
the lower part of the instrument panel.
- Always hold the steering wheel on the
outside of the steering wheel rim with
your hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock
positions to help reduce the risk of per­
sonal injury if the driver's airbag inflates.
- Never hold the steering wheel at the
12 o'clock position or with your hands at
other positions inside the steering wheel
rim or on the steering wheel hub. Hold­
ing the steering wheel the wrong way
can cause serious injuries to the hands,
arms and head if the driver's airbag in­
flates
- Pointing the steering wheel toward your
face decreases the ability of the supple­ mental driver's airbag to protect you in a
collision.
-Always sit in an upright position and nev­
er lean against or place any part of your
body too close to the area where the air­
bags are located.
- Before driving, always adjust the front
seats and head restraints properly and
make sure that all passengers are prop­
erly restrained.
- Never adjust the seats while the vehicle
is moving. Your seat may move unexpect­
edly and you could lose control of the ve­
hicle.
- Never drive with the backrest reclined or
tilted far back! The farther the backrests
Driving Safely 95
are tilted back, the greater the risk of in­
jury due to incorrect positioning of the
safety belt and improper seating posi­
tion .
- Children must always ride in child seats
¢
page 132 . Special precautions apply
when installing a child seat on the front
passenger seat¢
page 111.
Proper seating position for the front
passenger
The proper front passenger seating position
is important for safe, relaxed driving.
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of
injury in the event of an accident, we recom­
mend that you adjust the seat for the front
passenger to the following position:
"'Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is
in an upright position and your back comes
in full contact with it whenever the vehicle is
moving.
"'Adjust the head restraint so the upper edge
is as even as possible with the top of your
head. If that is not possible, try to adjust
the head restraint
so that it is as close to
this position as possible ¢
page 96.
"' Keep both feet flat on the floor in front of
the front passenger seat.
"' Fasten and wear safety belts correctly .
For detailed information on how to adjust the
front passenger's seat, see ¢
page 5 7, Gener­
al recommendations .
A WARNING
Front seat passengers who are unbelted,
out of position or too close to the airbag
can be seriously injured or killed by the air­
bag as it deploys. To help reduce the risk of
serious personal injury:
- Passengers must always sit in an upright
position and never lean against or place
any part of their body too close to the
area where the airbags are located.
-
•
•

96 Driving Safely
-Passengers who are unbelted, out of po­
sition or too close to the airbag can be
seriously injured by an airbag as it de­
ploys with great force in the blink of an
eye.
- Always make sure that there are at least
10 inches (25 cm) between the front
passenger's breastbone and the instru­
ment panel.
- Always make sure that there are at least
4 inches (10 cm) between the front pas­
senger's knees and the lower part of the
instrument panel.
- Each passenger must always sit on a seat
of their own and properly fasten and
wear the safety belt belonging to that
seat.
- Before driving, always adjust the front
passenger seat and head restraint prop­
erly.
- Always keep your feet on the floor in
front of the seat . Never rest them on the
seat, instrument panel, out of the win ­
dow, etc. The airbag system and safety
belt will not be able to protect you prop­
erly and can even increase the risk of in­
jury in a crash.
- Never drive with the backrest reclined or
tilted far back! The farther the backrests
are tilted back, the greater the risk of in­
jury due to incorrect positioning of the
safety belt and improper seating posi­
tion.
- Children must always ride in child seats
¢page 132. Special precautions apply
when installing a child seat on the front
passenger seat
r:::;, page 111.
Proper adjustment of head restraints
Fig. 103 Head restra int: v iewed from the front
The head restraints must be correctly adjust­
ed to achieve the best protection.
.,. For adjustable head restraints: adjust the
head restraint so the upper edge is as even
as possible with the top of your head. If that
is not possible, try to adjust the head re­
straint so that it is as close to this position
as possible
r:::;, fig. 103 .
Adjusting head restraints¢
page 59.
A WARNING ~
All seats are equipped with head re-
straints. Driving w ithout head restraints or
with head restraints that are not properly
adjusted increases the risk of serious or fa­
tal neck injuriy dramat ically. To help re­
duce the risk of injury:
- Always drive with the head restraints in
p la ce and properly adjusted.
- Every person in the vehicle must have a
properly adjusted head restraint.
- Always make sure each person in the ve­
h icle properly adjusts their head re­
straint. Adjust the head restraints so the
upper edge is as even as possible with
the top of your head. If that is not possi­
ble, try to adjust the head restraint so
that it is as close to this position as pos­
sible,
- Never attempt to adjust head restraint
while driving. If you have driven off and must adjust the driver headrest for any
reason, first stop the vehicle safely be­
fore attempting to adjust the head re­
straint .

-Children must always be properly re­
strained in a child restraint that is appro­
priate for their age and size
c:> page 132.
Examples of improper seating positions
The occupant restraint system can only re­
duce the risk of injury if vehicle occupants are
properly seated.
Improper seating positions can cause serious
injury or death. Safety belts can only work
when they are properly positioned on the
body. Improper seating positions reduce the
effectiveness of safety belts and will even in­
crease the risk of injury and death by moving
the safety belt to critical areas of the body .
Improper seating positions also increase the
risk of serious injury and death when an air­
bag deploys and strikes an occupant who is
not in the proper seating position. A driver is
responsible for the safety of all vehicle occu­
pants and especially for children. Therefore:
.,. Never allow anyone to assume an incorrect
seating position when the vehicle is being
used
c:> ,&. .
The following bullets list only some sample
positions that wi ll increase the risk of serious
injury and death . Our hope is that these exam ­
ples will make you more aware of seating po­
sitions that are dangerous.
Therefore, whenever the vehicle is
moving:
- never stand up in the vehicle
- never stand on the seats
- never kneel on the seats
- never ride with the seatback reclined
- never lean up against the instrument panel
- never sit on the edge of the seat
- never sit sideways
- never lean out the window
- never put your feet out the window
- never put your feet on the instrument panel
- never rest your feet on the seat cushion or
back of the seat
- never ride in the footwell
Driving Safely 97
-never ride in the cargo area
A WARNING
Improper seating positions increase the
risk of serious personal injury and death
whenever a vehicle is being used.
- Sitting incorrectly places occupants at
risk of being critically injured if the air­
bags deploy and strike them.
- Before you start driving, seat yourself
properly and always maintain this seat­
ing position during the trip. Before each
trip, instruct your passengers to seat
themselves properly and to maintain this
seating position during the trip
c:> page 57, General recommendations .
Driver and passenger
side footwell
Important safety instructions
A WARNING
A lways make sure that the knee airbag can
inflate without interference. Objects be­
tween yourself and the airbag can increase
the risk of injury in an accident by interfer­
ing with the way the airbag deploys or by
being pushed into you as the airbag de­
ploys .
- No persons (children) or animals should
ride in the footwell in front of the pas­
senger seat . If the airbag deploys, this
can result in serious or fatal injuries.
- No objects of any kind should be carried
in the footwell area in front of the driv­
er 's or passenger's seat. Bulky objects
(shopping bags, for example) can ham­
per or prevent proper deployment of the
airbag. Small objects can be thrown
through the vehicle if the airbag deploys
and injure you or your passengers .
•
•
-

106 Safety belts
-For maximum protection, safety belts
must always be positioned correctly on
the body.
- Never strap more than one person, in­
cluding small children, into any single
safety belt.
- Never place a safety belt over a child sit­
ting on your lap.
- Always keep feet in the footwell in front
of the seat while the vehicle is being driv­
en .
- Never let any person ride with feet on
the instrument panel or sticking out the
window or on the seat.
- Never remove a safety belt while the ve­
hicle is moving. Doing so will increase
your risk of be ing injured or killed.
- Never wear belts twisted.
- Never wear belts over rigid or breakable
objects in or on your clothing, such as
eye glasses, pens, keys, etc., as these
may cause injury.
- Never wear the shoulder part of the belt
under your arm or otherwise out of posi­
t ion .
- Several layers of heavy clothing may in­
terfere with correct positioning of belts and reduce their effectiveness .
- Always keep belt buckles free of anything
that may prevent the buckle from latch­
ing securely .
- Never use comfort clips or devices that
create slack in the shoulder belt. Howev­
er, special clips may be required for the
correct use of some child restraint sys­
tems.
- Never allow safety belts to become dam­
aged by being caught in door or seat hardware.
- Torn or frayed safety bel ts can tear and
damaged belt hardware can break in an
accident. Inspect belts regularly. If web ­
bing, bindings, buckles, or retractors are
damaged, have belts replaced by an au­
thorized Audi dealer or qualified work­ shop.
- Safety belts that have been worn and
loaded in an accident must be replaced with the correct replacement safety belt
by an authorized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop. Replacement may be necessa­
ry even if damage cannot be clearly seen .
Anchorages that were loaded must also
be inspected .
- Never remove, modify, disassemble, or
try to repair the safety belts yourself.
- Always keep the belts clean. Dirty belts
may not work properly and can impair
the function of the inertia reel
¢ page 165, Safety belts.
Safety belts
· Fastening safety belts
Seat first -everybody buckle up!
Fig. 113 Be lt buck le and to ngue o n th e drive r's se at
To provide maximum protection, safety belts
must always be positioned correctly on the
wearer 's body.
.. Adjust the front seat and head restraint
properly ¢
page 5 7, General recommenda­
t ions .
.. Hold the belt by the tongue and pull it even­
ly across the chest and pelvis ¢
_&..
.. Insert the tongue into the correct buckle of
your seat until you hear it latch securely
¢fig. 113 .
.. Pull on the belt to make sure that it is se-
curely latched in the buckle.
Automatic safety belt retractors
Every safety belt is equipped with an automat-
ic belt retractor on the shoulder belt. This fea­
ture locks the belt when the belt is pulled out
fast, during hard braking and in an accident. ..,.