2014 AUDI R8 SPYDER tow

2 Table of contents Vehicle literature .. .. .. .. .. ... .
4
About this Owner's Manual . . . 5
Controls and equipment .. ... .
Cockpit ................ .... .. . .
General illus tration .... ... .. .. ... .
Instruments and warning/
indicator lights ........ .. .. .. . .
Ins truments . .. .. ..... ... .. .. ... .
War ning/ indi cator lights ... .. ... .. .
Driver information system .. .
Introduct ion . .. .. ..... ... .. .. ... .
Trip computer .. .. ..... ... .. .. ... .
M enu display . ........... .... ... .
Service interval d isp lay .... .. .. .. . .
Lap timer .. ........ ..... .. ..... .
On -Board Diagnostic system (OBD) .. .
Opening and closing .... .. .. . .
Keys .. .. .. ... .... .... .. .. .. .. . .
P owe r locking system ......... .. . .
Fr ont lid . .. ... ....... ... .... ... . 6
6
6
8
8
11
20
20
2
1
22
24
25
26
28
28
30
33
Anti-theft alarm system . . . . . . . . . . . 34
P owe r wi ndows .......... .. .. .. . .
Convertible top ......... .. ... .
Conve rtible top ........ .. .. .. .. . .
W ind deflecto r .. ...... ... .. .. ... .
Rear window . .. .. ..... ... .. .. ... .
Conve rtible top emergency operation .
Clear vision .. .. ..... ... .. .. ... .
Lights ...... .. .. ..... ... .. .. ... .
Inter ior lights .. . ...... ... .. .. ... .
V1s1on . .. ................. .. ... .
W iper and washer system .. .. .. ... .
D ig ita l compass . .......... ... .. . .
Seats and storage ....... .. .. . .
General recommendat ions . .... .. . .
P owe r seats .............. ... .. . .
H ead restraints .... .... .. .. .. .. . .
Cup holder . ............. .. .. .. . .
Ashtray ...... ........... ....... .
35
37
3 7
39
39
4 0
4 6
46
49
so
51
55
57 57
58
59
5 9
60
C igarette lighter/soc ket . ..... .... . .
Storage ... .... .. .. ... ..... ... .. . 60
60
Warm and cold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Climate controls . .... .. ..... .... . .
Rea r window defogger ... .... ... .. .
Heated seats .. .. ... .......... .. .
On the road ... ... .. ..... .... . .
Steering .. .. .. .. .. ........... .. .
Ig nit ion lock/Ignition switch ....... .
Starting and stopping t he engine . .. .
Parking brake .. .. ..... ......... . .
Start ing on hills .. ............... .
Speed warning system ... .... ... .. .
C ru ise cont ro l ................. .. .
Audi mag net ic r ide ............. .. .
S po rty driving .... .. ... ..... ... .. .
Transmission ............... .. .
Manua l transm ission . ... .... ... .. .
S tronic ® .. .... .. .. ... ..... ... .. .
Parking system ............... .
Pa rking sys tem advanced
63
67
67
68
68
68
69
70
71
72
73
7S
75
77
7 7
78
8 4
84
Homelink ® . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 0
U niversa l remote control . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Safety first . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Driving Safely . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Genera l notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Pro per occ upant seating positions . . . 94
Driver and passenger side footwe ll . . . 97
Pedal area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Stow ing luggage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Repo rting Safety Defects . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Active rollove r pro tect ion system
101
Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Genera l notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Why safety belts? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 4
Safe ty be lts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Sa fe ty be lt pretensioners . . . . . . . . . . 109
Airbag system.............. .. . 111
Impo rtant th ings to know . . . . . . . . . . 111
F ron t air bags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . llS

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

34 Openin g and clo sing
• Press the front lid closed carefully using
both hands unti l it latches audibly¢ &,.
A WARNING
A front lid that is not comp lete ly latched
could fly up and block your view while driv­
ing.
- When you close the front lid, check it to
make sure the safety catch has properly
engaged. The lid should be flush with the
surround ing vehicle body parts.
- If you not ice wh ile driving that the lid is
not secured properly, stop at once and
close it.
- Never leave your vehicle unattended es­
pecially with the front lid left open. A
child could c rawl into the luggage com­
par tment and pull the lid s hut, becoming
tr apped and unable to get out. To re duce
the risk of personal i njury, never let chil­
dren p lay in or around your vehicle . Al ­
ways keep the front lid as we ll as the ve­
hicle doors closed when not in use.
(D Note
Ma ke s ure no objects are protruding above
t he edge o f the luggage compartment.
Otherwise, the front lid could be dam­
aged.
(D Tips
I f the front lid is open or not p roperly
locked w hen the ignit ion is tu rned on, the
door and front lid warning appea rs in the
instrument cluster disp lay.
Emergency release for front lid
If the front lid cannot be opened, an emer­
gency release is provided .
Fig . 29 Sect io n: Eme rgency release
• Reach under the closed glove compartmen t.
There is a red plas tic cord under the glove
compartment .
• Pull the red plastic cord towards yo u.
Anti-theft alarm
system
The anti-theft alarm triggers an alarm if any­
one attempts to break into the vehicle .
Fig . 30 Diode position in the instrument pane l
The anti -theft alarm system triggers an audi­
ble a larm and turns on the emerge ncy flasher
if an unauthorize d interference with the vehi­
cle is sensed by the system .
How is the anti-theft alarm system
switched on?
T he anti -theft alarm system is switched on
when you lock the driver's door manua lly us-
ing the fo ld-out key, or when you use the re­
mote control. The system is activated approxi­
mately 30 seconds after the vehicle is locked . .,,_

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 waterproof
under normal conditions. Some moisture may
collect in the vehicle interior, but only under
extreme ly adverse weather conditions such as
torrential rain. That is normal and no cause
for concern.
F ollow the clean ing and maintenance instruc­
tions
Q page 159 to ensure the convertible
top remains wind- and waterproof . Also note
the following points:
- Only stow the convert ible 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
vertible 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
vertible top could be scratched or damaged.
The rear window may be cleared with a
standard ice scraper.
- Th e fabric in the convertible top loses elas ­
t icity in sub-zero temperatures. We recom­
mend not opening or closing the convertible
top when the temperature is below 32 °F
(0 QC). The convertib le top will not open
when the temperature is 5 °F (-15
Q() or be­
low .
Convertible top 3 7
Opening/closing the convertible top
Fig. 32 Center console: convertible top switc h
Requ irement: the front lid must be closed and
the ignition must be switched on .
Opening the convertible top
... Pull and hold the convertib le 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 comp letely.
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 ind icator light Nin the instrument clus­
ter goes out when the top is complete ly open
or closed.
The side windows a utomat ically lower slightly
during the opening/closing process.
A WARNING
-Never drive when the convert ible 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
convert ible top supports and other mov­
ing objects on the vehicle whe n opening
a nd clos ing the top.

42 Convertible top
Opening the conv ertible top stor age bay
lid
• From the r ear of the vehicle, r each into the
center ventilation slot in the sto rage bay lid
wi th both hands and raise the lid approxi­
mately 12 in (30 cm).
• Hold the storage bay lid in this posit ion and
pull it toward you until it stops ¢
fig. 40.
A WARNING
When working in the engine compart­
ment:
- T urn the engine off.
- Act ivate the park ing brake.
-
- In vehicles with a manua l transm iss ion,
move the sh ifter lever into idle . In
vehicles with the R tronic transmission,
move the se lector lever into the N pos i­
t ion.
- Remove the ignit ion key .
- Let the engine cool down .
- Keep children away from the engine com-
partment.
(D Note
To prevent damage to the vehicle, only
open the convertible top storage bay lid
when the engine compartment lid is
closed.
Step 4: Remove the covers
Fi g. 41 Conv ertib le top : cov ers ma rk e d
Fig. 42 Co nver tible top storage bay lid: r em ov ing t he
c o ver
T he following steps mus t be performed on
both sides of the vehicle .
• Remove the bo lt in the cover on the bo ttom
side of the sto rage bay lid using the open
e nd w rench from the vehicle too l kit
(D
¢ fig . 42.
• Move the cover up and down carefully until
it can be pulled downwa rd from the teeth
@ .
Step 5: Lift the convertible top out
Fig. 4 3 Conve rtib le to p sto rage bay: liftin g th e c onve r­
tible top o ut
Fig . 44 Wind shi eld fr ame: p res sing the c onvert ible top
fo rwa rd
• Ho ld the conve rtib le top at the@ point (ar ­
row)
r:!;> fig. 43 and raise it carefu lly ¢ A . .,..

.. Pull the convertible top all the way out in
the direction indicated @. Position the fins
upward at the same t ime.
.. Press the convertib le top as far forward to­
ward the windshield frame as possible
Q fig. 44 .
Have a second person assist when positioning
the convertible top. That person should stand
on the opposite side of the vehicle and per­
form the same steps.
_& WARNING
-When positioning the convertible top,
avo id contact with the supports or othe r
moving pa rts. O the rw ise you cou ld pinch
yo ur hands.
- Whe n pressing the convert ible top down
onto the windsh iel d frame, make s ure
that you do not pinch yoursel f or anyone
else .
Step 6: Secure the convertible top
-
Fig . 4 5 Co nvertible top sto rage bay: installi ng the driv­
er
F ig . 4 6 Securing th e convert ib le top
The convertible top must be under tension to
secure it to the windshie ld frame. The wheel
wrench, dr iver and bolts from the vehicle tool
kit a re required for this.
Con vert ible top 4 3
Have a second person assist with th is step .
That person should stand on the opposite side
of the vehicle and perform the same steps .
.. Posit ion the dr iver @ on the bo lt @ in the
front sect ion of the convert ible top storage
bay and rotate clockwise to insta ll in the
threads ~
fig. 45.
.. Posit ion the wheel wrench © with the long
end on the driver @.
.,. Press the convertible top as far forward as
possible toward the windshie ld frame @
w ith one hand~
fig. 46. At the same t ime,
pull the fins upward @for support with the
other hand.
.. Now, grasp the fins with the hand that you
used to move the convertib le top forward
and hold the fins in this position . Wit h the
other hand, turn the wheel wrench upward
until it stops @.
(D Tips
-When pressing the convertible top for­
ward, make sure the locking pins are
seated in the latch o n the windshield
frame and not on the frame itself.
- When press ing the convert ible top for­
ward, make sure the locking pins are
seated exactly i n the latch on t he wind­
shield frame and not on the frame itself.
T his is t he on ly way that the convertib le
t op can be latched cor rect ly .

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 ...,

48 Clear vis ion
Turn sign als¢ Q (D@
.,. Push the lever up as far as it can go to turn
on the r ight turn signal or down to turn on
the left turn signal
c;, fig. 53 .
.,. Move the lever briefly until you meet resist­
ance and release it to flash three times .
.,. Move the lever (up or down) until you meet
resistance and ho ld it there to determine
the flash ing t ime for the turn signals.
High beam [D @
.,. Push the lever forward to switch on the high
beam.
.,. Pull the lever back towards you to swi tch off
the high beam .
Headl ight fla she r [D ©
.,. Pull the lever toward the steering wheel to
use the headlight f lasher.
Notes on these features
- T he turn signals only work with the igni tion
switched on . The ind icator lights
II or 1M in
the instrument cluster
i::> page 11 also b link .
- After you have turned a corner, the tur n sig -
nal switches off a utomat ica lly.
- T he
high beam works only when the head­
li gh ts are on. The indicator light
II in the
instrument cluste r illuminates when the
high beams are on.
- T he
headlight flasher works on ly as long as
yo u hold the lever -even if there are no
li ghts turned on . The indicator light
II in
the instrument cl uster i llum inates when you
use the headl ight f lasher.
A WARNING
Do not use the hig h beam or headlight
flashe r if you know that these could blind
oncoming traffic.
Emergency flasher
SPORT •
Fig. 5 4 Center co nsole : em erge ncy flashe r sw itc h
.,. Press the switc h lil i::> fig. 54 to switch the
emergency flasher on or off .
When the emergency flasher is on, all four
turn s ignals b link at the same time. The turn
s ignal indicator lights
II IB in the instrument
cluster, as well as the light i n the emergency
flasher sw itch
&,. blink likew ise . The eme rgen­
cy flashe rs also work when the ign ition is
tu rned off.
The emergency flasher will automatically switch on if you are in an accide nt whe re the
airbag has deployed.
@ Tips
You should sw itch on t he emergency flash­
er when :
- you are the last veh icle standing in a traf­
fic jam so that any other vehicles coming
can see you, o r w hen
- your vehicle has broken down or you a re
in an eme rgency s ituation, o r when
- your vehicle is be ing towed by a tow
truck or if you are towing another veh icle
beh ind you .