
Instruments and warning/indicator lights
A WARNING
- Light bulbs are pressurized and cou ld ex
plode while they are being changed causing
serious persona l injury.
-
- Work with due care when handling the high
vo ltage section of gas discharge (xenon)
lamps. Fa iling to do so could result in death
or serious injury!
BRAKE LIGHT!< ®> Brake light defective
In case of a malfunction or component failure,
the symbol
!:ljf:Ul•@:U (USA models)/ ll] (Canada
models) can appear. The following electrical
components should be checked, repaired or re
p laced, as necessary:
- Brake light bulbs
- All wiring connections
- Brake light switch
Con tact your authorized Audi dealer for assis
tance if necessary.
(D Tips
The brake light switch is only inspected as
part of the functional check after the engine
is started.
/i. O
Light/rain sensor defective
Applies to veh icles: w ith automatic headlights
If the symbol illuminates, the light sensor has
fai led. For safety reasons, the low beams are
turned on permanently with the switch in
AUTO.
However, you ca n continue to turn the lights on
and off using the light switch . In the case of a de
fect in the ra in sensor, the windshield wiper lever
functions are still available . Have 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 B illuminates when the igni
tion is sw itched on as a function check.
18
(D Tips
If the indicator lamp illuminates whi le you are
driving, there is a malfunction in the vehicle
damping. The chassis should be inspected im
mediately by an authorized Audi dealer.
-::}. Rear spoiler
The warning/indicator light monitors the electri
cally retractable rear spoiler.
The warning/indicator light I! has the fo llowing
funct ions :
- It comes on for about 3 seconds as a function
check when the ignition is switched on.
- It comes on if there is a malfunction in the elec
trically retractable rear spoiler.
Additional informat ion about the e lectr ically re
tractable rear spoiler
~ page 138.
ill Tire pressure monitoring system
Applies to vehicles: with tire pressure monitoring system
Tire pressure that is too low must be corrected
as soon as possible.
The warning/indicator light [IJ illum inates for a
few seconds after the ignition is turned on as a
function check. If the
[IJ warning light comes on,
pressure in at least one tire is too low.
.. Stop driving as soon as possible w ithout endan -
gering yourself and other dr ivers on the road .
.. Inspect all tires .
.. Correct the tire pressure ~
page 179.
Additional informat ion about the tire pr essure
monitoring system
can be found~ page 197 .
¢ Q Turn signals
The indicator light blinks when you use either
turn signal .
Whenever you use the left B or the right R
turn signal, the indicator light blinks. When you
use the emergency flasher, both indicator lights
flash .
Iii>

Opening and closing
Programming the Homelink transmitter
Fig. 33 Overhead console: Homelink keypad
Fig . 34 Fr ont bumper: loca tion of transmitter unit
The transmitter is programmed in two phases.
For rolling code transmitters, a third phase is al
so necessa ry .
Pha se 1: programming the ove rhead keypad
l.
Make sure you r vehicle is w ith in operat ing
range of the remote controlled garage door
ope ner .
2 . Set the park ing brake ~
& in Description on
page 35 .
3. Turn the ignition o n. Do not sta rt the e ngine!
4. Press and hold t he two outside Home Link
b uttons
(D and ® for approx im ately 20 sec
onds until indicator light @~
fig. 33 begins
to flas h. The n re lease both buttons. Do not
hold the buttons for longer than 30 seconds.
.,. This procedure only needs to be perfo rmed
once . It erases the factory-set default codes
and does not have to be repeated to prog ram
additional remote controls .
5 . Press and hold the Homelink button
(D , ®
or ® until the ind ic a tor light @ starts
fl ash ing
slowly. Release the bu tton.
36
.,. The system will remain in programming mode
for
5 minutes . Go to the front of the vehicle
and proceed with phase 2 .
Phase 2:
programming the bumper mounted tran smit
ter
6. Hold the original remote control at a dis
tance between
0-6 in . (0 -15 cm) from the
bumper below the appropr iate headlight for
you r vehicle ~
fig. 34 (u se the shortest dis
tance possib le).
7. Aim the remote control just below the
driver
side
h eadlight.
8 . Press and ho ld the activation but to n on the
remote co ntrol.
.,. May be different in Canada .
If so, press and re
press (cycle) the activation button on your re
mote control every two seconds.
9 . The emergency flashers w ill flash
three
times
(after about 15-60 seconds) when the
programmi ng is s uccessf ul. Release the but
ton on t he remote con trol.
.,. To program more device s, repe at st ep s 4 to 9.
10 . Pr ess and ho ld the trained Home link button
and o bserve the ind icator light@~
fig. 33.
.,. If the ind icator light is solid/co nti nu ous, pro
gramm ing is complete and yo ur device sho uld
activate when you press and re lease the trained
Homelink button .
.,. If the indicator light blinks rapidly for 2 sec
onds and is the n a so lid/continuous light, pro
ce ed w ith phase 3 to program a roll ing code de
vice .
Phase 3: rolling code programming
.,. A second person o n a ladder wh o ca n safe ly
reach the garage door opener motor is recom
mended .
11. Locate the "learn" button on the ga rag e doo r
o pener mo tor ( refer to the oper ati ng in str uc
t ions for the opener, as the lo cat io n of th is
b utton may vary by manufacturer) .
12 . Pres s and release the learn b utton on the ga
rage door o pener motor.
.,. Note: once the b utton is pressed, there are 30
seconds
in which to initiate th e next step.
13 . On t he Home link keypad ins ide the ve hicle,
firmly p ress and hold the Homelink butto n
IJ,,

..... N
r-N "': ..... \!) ..,.,
N ..,., .....
This is called the wind deflector position
¢ fig . 38 .
The rear w indow can be extended comp lete ly for
cleaning. This is ca lled the cleaning posit io n.
Extend ing the rear window into the w ind
deflector position
~ Pull and hold the rear window switch ¢ fig. 39.
~ Re lease the switch once the rear window has
reached the wind deflector position.
Extending the rear window into the cleaning
posit ion
~ P ull and hold t he rear window switch ~ fig. 39.
~ Release the switch once the rear window has
reached the wind deflector position.
~ Pull and hold the rear window switch again .
~ Pull and hold the convertible top switch within
one second
¢page 38, fig. 35.
Retracting th e rear w indow
~ Press and ho ld the rear window switch until the
window has been retracted .
Retracting the rear w indow using the one
touch fun ction
~ Press the rear window switch briefly . There is
no need to hold the switch.
The rear w indow can on ly be operated when the
ignition is switched on.
The rear w indow can also be extended or retract
ed when the convertible top is closed .
A WARNING
-Do not use the rear window to secure cargo
or othe r ob jects. This co uld res ult in inj ury .
- Always pay attention and be ca reful when
extend ing o r ret racting the rea r window.
It
cou ld cause injury by pinching.
(D Tips
- Keepi ng a ll of the w indows raised provides
the best wi nd p rotection .
- The v ehicle must be stat ionary to bring the
r ear w indow into the cleaning position. The
rear w indow w ill retract on ce you beg in driv
i ng.
Con vertible top
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 39. I f this is the case, the conve rtible top
will operate again after a short delay. Otherwise
the following s teps mus t be comp leted befo re
closing the convertible top :
~ Activate the parking brake.
~ Open the side windows , if necessa ry.
~ Remove the key from the igni tion .
~ Pull or p ress the convertib le top switch
¢
page 38, fig . 35 for approximate ly 10 sec
onds.
Emergency locking is not intended for long -term
u se or long dr ives. The convertib le top wi ll not be
complete ly waterproof afte r using the emergency
l ocking procedure because the seals wi ll not be
seated correctly. Only close the convertible top
manua lly in an emergency . P lease see an autho r
ized Audi R8 dealer to have the cause of the mal
funct ion corrected.
A WARNING
- The ignition must be sw itched off d uring the
entire clos ing pro cedure.
- When pos itioning the convertib le top, avoid
contact w ith the s upports o r other moving
pa rts. Otherwise you cou ld pinch your
hands .
- I f conve rtible top operation fails whe n
open ing or closing the top, do not hold o r
touch the supports or other moving pa rts
when releasing the pressure. The converti
b le top will sink down and co uld p inch your
hands.
- Never d rive when the convert ible top is not
locked correctly. The wind from dr iving
could cause the convertible top to open.
This can result in injuries and damage to the
veh icle. .,,.
41

.... N
l'
N "1: .... I.O
"' N
"' ....
_& WARNING
When working in the engine compartment:
- Turn the engine off .
- Activate the parking brake.
- In vehicles with a manual transmission,
move the shifter lever into idle. In vehicles
with the R tronic transmission, move these
lector lever into the N position.
- Remove the ignition key.
- Let the engine cool down.
- Keep children away from the engine com-
partment .
0 Note
To prevent damage to the vehicle, only open
the convertible top storage bay lid when the
engine compartment lid is closed.
Step 3: Remove the covers
Fig. 44 Convertible top: covers marked
. '
®Ir
! N .., a,
Fig. 45 Convertible top sto rage bay l id : removing the cover
The following steps must be performed on both
sides of the vehicle.
.,. Remove the bolt in the cover on the bottom
side of the storage bay lid using the open end
wrench from the vehicle tool kit@ c::>
fig. 45 .
Convertible top
.,. Move the cover up and down carefully until it
can be pulled downward from the teeth @.
Step 4: Lift the convertible top out
Fig. 46 Convertible top s torage bay: lifting the conver tible
top out
Fig. 47 W inds hield fra me: pressing the co nve rtible top for
ward
.,. Hold the convertible top at the @ point (arrow)
c::>
fig. 46 and raise it carefully c::> &, .
.,. Pull the convertible top all the way out in the
direction indicated @. Position the fins upward
at the same time .
.,. Press the convertible top as far forward toward
the windshield frame as possible c::>
fig. 47.
Have a second person assist when positioning the
convertible top. That person should stand on the
opposite side of the vehicle and perform the
same steps.
_& WARNING
-- When positioning the convertible top, avoid
contact with the supports or other moving
parts. Otherwise you could pinch your
hands.
- When pressing the convertible top down on
to the windshield frame, make sure that you
do not pinch yourself or anyone else.
43

.... N
l'
N "1: rl I.O
"' N
"' ....
and damage your vehicle's electronic
equipment or stain the upholstery, etc.
Ashtray
F ig . 71 Cen te r co nsole: ash tray
The ashtray is inserted in the cupholder.
Opening the a shtra y
• Fold the cover upward.
Emptying the ashtray
• Lift the closed ashtray up out of the cupholder .
A WARNING
-
Never put waste paper in the ashtray. Hot
ashes or other hot objects in the ashtray could
set waste paper on fire.
Cigarette lighter/socket
The cigarett e lighter o r socket only work with the
ignit ion on.
Using the cigar ett e lig hter
• Press the cigarette lighter in .
• Remove the cigarette ligh ter when it pops out.
Conn ecting an appliance
• Slide the cover open to reach the cigarette
lighter .
• Remove cigare tte lighte r.
• Pl ug in appliance to be used.
The socket of the cigarette lighter may be used
for 12-volt appliances with maximum consump· tion of up to 100 watts , such as a flash light,
small vacuum cleaner, etc.
Seats and storage
A WARNING
-Improper use of the cigarette lighter can
cause ser ious injury o r start a f ire.
- Be careful when using the c igarette Lighter.
If you do not pay attention to what you are
doing when you are using the cigarette
lighter you can bur n yourse lf .
(D Note
- To avoid damaging the socket, only use
plugs that fit proper ly.
- Only use the cigarette lighter socket as a power source for e lectr ical accessories for
short durations. Use the sockets in the veh i
cle when a power source is needed for lon·
ger d urat ions .
(i} Tips
-When the eng ine is off and accessories are
st ill plugged in and are on, the vehicle bat·
tery can st il l be drained .
- The vehicle battery must not be charged
with a standard small charger that plugs in
to the c igarette lighte r or outlet.
Storage
General
A WARNING
=
- Always remove objects from the instrument
panel. Any items not put away co uld slide
around ins ide the veh icle w hile driving or
when accele rating o r when app ly ing the
brakes or when driving around a corner .
- When you are dr iv ing make s ure that any
thing you may have placed in the center con
sole or other storage locations cannot fa ll
out into the footwe lls. I n case of sudden
braking you would not be ab le to brake, de
press the clutch or accelerate.
- Any articles of clothing that you have hung
up must not interfere with the driver's view .
The coat hooks are designed only for light·
weight clothing . Never hang any clothing
with ha rd, po inted or heavy objects i n the
pockets on the coat hooks. Dur ing sudden ..,.
59

..... N
r-N "': ..... \!) 1.1"1
N 1.1"1 .....
leave your vehicle . This makes vehicle theft even
more difficu lt
c::> & .
Ign ition on @
After switching the ignition on, the needles move
all the way up and then down.
If it is difficult to turn the key after you have in
serted it into the ign ition lock, turn the steering
wheel back and forth. This w ill take the load off
the steering lock mechanism and you will be able
to turn the key freely and start the engine.
Starting the engine @
In this position the engine starts . Wh ile the en
g ine is starting, the power supply to the head
l ights and other elect rical consume rs is tempo ra
ri ly inte rrupted to conserve battery power . After
the engine has started, re lease the key and it will
return to position @.
Before the sta rter can be opera ted again the key
m ust be t urned back to position (!). The
n on-re
pe at lo ck
prevents you from damaging the start
er when the engine is running .
A WARNING
-Never remove the key from the ignition lock
wh ile the vehicle is mov ing. The steer ing
wheel will lock causing loss of control.
- If you have to leave your vehicle - even for
just a min ute - a lways remove the ignit ion
key and take it with you. This is espec ially
important if you are going to leave ch ildren
behind in the veh icle . The ch ildren could
start the engine o r use other veh icle con
t ro ls. Unsuperv ised use of vehicle controls
( f or example, power windows) can c ause se
rious persona l injuries .
@ Tips
If the veh icle battery has been d isconnected
and then reconnected, then yo u m ust leave
t he key in posit ion @ for abou t 5 seconds be
fore you can start the engine .
On the road
Starting and stopping
the engine
Starting the engine
The engine can only be started with your original
Audi key.
On vehicles with S tronic*, the engine can be
sta rted in the neutra l position N and in each gear
(1 - 7 and R).
.,. Set the park ing brake
c::> .&_ .
.,. On veh icles with manual transmiss ion*, fully
dep ress the clutch peda l.
.,. Press and hold the bra ke peda l.
.,. Tu rn the ignition key to posit ion @
c::> page 66,
fig. 77 -do not depress the gas pedal when
starting the engine.
.,. Let go of the key as soon as the engine starts -
the starter m ust not cont inue to run. On
veh ides with S tronic, se lect gear position N .
A cold engine may at first be loud afte r it has
been started. This is due to the hydraulic valves
building up the oil pressure. This is normal and
no need for concern .
If the engine does not start immediately, stop
trying after 10 seconds and then try to restart
the engine about 30 seconds later .
A WARNING
--
-Never start or let the eng ine run in a con
f ined or enclosed area. Exhaust fumes from
the eng ine contain carbon mo noxide, a co l
o rl ess and odo rless gas. Carbon monoxide
can be fatal if i nhaled .
- Never leave the engine id ling unattended .
A n unattended ve hicl e w ith a running en
g in e poses a dange r of pe rsonal inj ury or
theft .
- W ith the engine r unning and a gear engag
ed, you have to ho ld the vehicle wi th the
foot b rake .
(D Note
-Avo id h igh engine speeds, fast acceleration
o r heavy engi ne loads whi le the engine is
st il l c old . T his could d amage t he engine.
67

On the road
- The engine cannot be started by pushing or
towing the vehicle .
@I For the sake of the environment
To avoid unnecessary eng ine wear and to re
duce exhaust emissions , do not let your vehi
cle stand and warm up. Be ready to drive
off
immediately after starting your vehicle.
Stopping the engine
On vehicle s wi th S tron ic*, the engine can be
turned
off in the neutral position N and in each
gear (1 -7 and R) .
.. Tu rn the ignition key to posit ion (!) co
page 66,
fig. 77 .
A WARNING
- Never turn off the engine until the vehicle
has come to a complete stop .
- The brake booster and servotronic only work
when the eng ine is running . W ith the igni
t ion turned
off , you have to apply more force
when steering or braking. Since you cannot
steer and stop normally , this can lead to ac
c idents and serious injuries .
(D Note
-If the engine has been under heavy load for
an extended period of time, heat builds up
i n the eng ine compartment after the engine
i s switched
off -there is a r isk of damag ing
the engine . A llow the engine to continue to
run at id le for a short time or drive until it
has coo led down before you turn it off
q page 73.
-If the engine has been under heavy load for
an extended period of time, it can become
extremely hot . You should not park your ve
hicle over easily combustible objects or
areas (e .g . grass or leaves) . There is a risk of
starting a fire .
{!) Tips
After the engine has been switched off, the ra
diator fan can continue to run for up to 10 m i
nutes - even w ith the ignition switched
off . It
68
can also switch on again after some time if
the coo lant temperature rises as the result of
heat bu ildup or if the engine compartment is
heated by the sun's rays and the engine is hot .
Parking brake
Parking brake
When the parking brake is set, it prevents the ve
hicle from rolling away unintentionally.
Fig . 78 C ente r co nsol e: Park ing bra ke set
S etting th e pa rking brak e
.. Pull th e parking brake lever all the way up.
Releasing the p arkin g brake
.. Pull the parking brake lever up slightly and
press the release button at the same time
c::> fig . 78 -arrow- .
.. Keep the release button pressed and lower the
parking brak e
q &_.
If you shou ld drive off with the parking bra ke st ill
set, a warning tone will sound and the fo llow ing
message wi ll appear in the instrument cluster to
r e mind you to release the parking brake:
H and brake i s appli ed
T he park ing brake warn ing comes on only after
you have driven for longer than 3 seconds and
faster than 3 mph (5 km/h) .
The parking brake warning ligh t. (USA)/ .
(CON) illuminates whe n the park ing brake is set
and you sw itch on the ign it ion .

..... N
r-N "': ..... \!) ..,.,
N ..,., .....
A WARNING
-=
Always release t he parkin g brake completely.
A part ially engaged brake will over heat th e
rear brakes, reduce their effect iveness and
cause excess ive wear. This could lead to brake
fai lure and an accident.
([) Note
Only after the ve hicle has come to complete
stop, sho uld you firmly set the parking brake
and move the gearshift lever into a gear.
Parking
Parking
~ Stop t he vehicle using the brake pedal.
~ Set the parking b ra ke firmly.
~ Swi tch off the engine.
~ Move t he se lecto r lever into the P pos ition ( au
tomatic t ransmis sion )
or move the gearshift
lever into 1st . gear
(manual transmission )
c:>.&_ .
~ When on incl ines or declines, turn the steering
whee l so that t he vehicle w ill roll into the curb
if it beg ins to move .
A WARNING
This is how yo u can reduce the risk of in jury
w hen leav ing you r vehicle.
-
- Never park the vehicle whe re it ca n come i n
co ntact wi th dry g rass, spilled fuel or a ny
other flammable mater ials.
- Never allow anyone - especially small chi l
dre n -to remai n in t he vehicle when it is
locked. Locke d doors ma ke i t mo re d iff icult
for rescuers to access the passenger com
partment in the event of an emergency .
Dange r to life!
- Never leave c hildren unsupervised in the ve
hicle. C hildren cou ld re lease the par king
brake or move the gearshift lever out of
gear. The vehicle could sta rt to roll away and
cause an accident .
- No matter what the season is, the tempera
ture in a parked veh icle can reach dangerous
levels.
On th e road
Starting on hills
Applies to vehicles: wit h hill ho ld assist
Hill ho ld assist makes it eas ier to sta rt on hills.
The system is activated when the brake peda l is
depressed
for a few seconds .
After releasing the brake pedal, the b rake power
is he ld for a
brief moment to prevent the vehicle
from rol ling back when starting . At this time, you
can eas ily beg in to move your vehicle.
A WARNING
- I f you did not begin moving imme diate ly af
ter re leasi ng the b ra ke peda l, unde r ce rtain
cir cumstan ces, the vehicle w ould beg in to
roll bac kward. Depress t he brake pe dal im
mediately or engage the hand brake.
- Should t he e ngine sta ll, dep ress the brake
pe dal immed iately or enga ge the hand
b rake.
- I n or der to preven t the vehicle from roll ing
back unintentionally when s tarting in s top
and-go traffic, keep the brake pe dal de
pressed for a few seconds before driving off.
(D Tips
You can find o ut if yo ur vehicle is eq uipped
wi th "Hill hold ass ist" at an autho riz ed Au di
d ealersh ip.
Speed warning system
Speed warning system
The speed warning system helps you to keep your
driving speed below a set speed limit .
The speed warn ing system warns the driver if he
exceeds a previously stored max imum speed. A
warning tone will sound as soon as the veh icle
speed exceeds the set speed by about
3 mph
(3 km/h) . At the same t ime, a warning symbo l
appea rs i n the display .
The speed warn ing system has
two warn ing
thre sholds
tha t function independe ntly of each
othe r and t hat have somewhat d iffe rent pu rpos
es:
69