2015 AUDI R8 SPYDER tow

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(D Note
If S tronic has switched to emergency opera­
tion mode, you should have the malfunction corrected as soon as possible.
Parking lock emergency release
App lies to vehicles: with S tro nic
The parking lock must be released using the
emergency release before towing the vehicle.
F ig. 87 Engine compart men t: emergency release
Fig. 88 Engine compa rtment: parking lock emergency re·
lease
The emergency release is located in the engine
compartment.
Releasing the parking lock using the
emergency release
.,. Turn the engine off .
.,. Set the parking brake to prevent the vehicle
from rolling unintentionally .
.,. Remove the removable plastic key from the lug­
gage compartment and extend the key to its
full length .
.,. Remove the cover over the emergency release
mechan ism .
Tran smission
.,. Insert the plastic key into the emergency re­
lease mechanism and turn it all the way to the
r ight ~
fig. 88.
Resetting the parking lock
.,. Turn the key all the way to the left.
.,. Install the cover.
The
[il indicator light appears in the instrument
cluster if the parking lock was released from
P
using the emergency release. The message Risk
of rolling! P not possible. Please set the parking
brake
also appears.
,&_ WARNING
- Only activate the emergency release whi le
on a level surface or a slight s lope.
- If you release the parking lock using the
emergency release, secure your vehicle with
the parking brake. The vehicle can roll away if it is not secured and cause a crash.
(D Tips
The transmission cannot detect if the parking
l ock was released with the emergency re lease.
An error message appears in the instrument
cluster as soon as the transmiss ion requires
the
P position but th is position is not engag­
ed.
79

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area roughly corresponds to the area in¢ fig. 91
and (D ~ fig . 92. Orientation lines and colored
surfaces are projected in the area shown, which
can help you with parking and maneuvering. Ob­
jec ts that are located in an area that is not cap­
tured by the camera@¢
fig. 92 and that are
closer to the bumper will not appea r on the navi­
gation system display .
We recommend that you practice park ing with
the rearview camera in a traffic -free location o r
parking lot to become familiar w ith the system,
the orientation lines, a nd their funct ion . There
should be suff icient light and good weather con­
d itions w hen do ing so.
In the nav igat io n system display, objects or
vehicles appear closer or fu rther away if:
Objects or vehicles appear closer or farther away in the navigation system if :
- you are driving in reverse gear from a level sur ­
face onto an incl ine, or a downward slope,
- you are driving in reverse gear toward protrud-
ing objects .
The accuracy o f the orientation lines and blue
surfaces diminishes if:
- the rearv iew came ra does not p rovide a reliab le
image, for example, in poor visibility cond itions
or if the lens is d irty,
- the image on the screen is not visible due to
s u n g lare and reflect ion.
Caring for th e rearvi ew cam era len s
The rearview camera is located in the center of
the vehicle above the rear license p late bracket.
In order for the rearview camera to function
p roperly, the camera lens must be kept clean and
free of snow and ice .
- Dampen the lens with a househo ld alcoho l­
based glass cleane r, and clea n the lens with a
dry cloth .
- Remove snow with a hand brush and ice pref ­
erably with a de- ic ing spray ¢(j) .
A WARNING
- T he pa rking system cannot rep lace the d riv­
er' s a ttention . The d rive r alone is responsi-
P a rk ing system
ble for parking and simi lar d riving maneu­
vers.
- Sensors have blind spots in whic h objects
cannot be detected. Pay spec ia l attention to
small children and an imals beca use the sen­
sors cannot always detect them.
- Always keep your eyes on the vehicle 's sur­
round ings, using the rearview mirror as
well.
- Do not allow yourself to be distracted from
traffic by the rearview camera pictures in
the navigation system display .
-If the position and the installation angle of
the camera has changed, for example, after
a rear end collision, do not continue to use
the system fo r safety reasons . Have it
checked by a n author ized Audi dealer or oth­
er q ua lif ied wor kshop .
(!) Note
-Low obstacles a lready s ignaled by a war ning
can disappea r from the system 's detection
range as they a re approached and w ill not
cont in ue to be s ignaled . Objec ts such as
barrie r cha ins, trailer draw ba rs, narrow
painted vertical poles o r fences may not be
detected by the system, pos ing risk of dam­
age .
- Never use warm or hot wate r to remove
snow or ice from the rearv iew camera lens
because the lens could crack .
- Never use products that a re abrasive when
cleaning the lens .
81

Driving Safely
positions to help reduce the risk of personal
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. Holding
the steering wheel the wrong way can cause
serious injuries to the hands, arms and head
if the driver's airbag inflates
- Pointing the steering wheel toward your
face decreases the ability of the supplemen­
tal driver's airbag to protect you in a colli­
sion.
-Always sit in an upright position and never
lean against or place any part of your body
too close to the area where the airbags are
located.
- Before driving, always adjust the front seats
and head restraints properly and make sure
that all passengers are properly restrained.
- Never adjust the seats while the vehicle is
moving. Your seat may move unexpectedly
and you could lose control of the vehicle.
- Never drive with the backrest reclined or
tilted far back! The farther the backrests are
tilted back, the greater the risk of injury due
to incorrect positioning of the safety belt and improper seating position.
- Children must always ride in child seats
¢page 122. Special precautions apply
when installing a child seat on the front pas­
senger seat
¢page 102.
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 in­
jury in the event of an accident, we recommend
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 upr ight 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
88
that is not possible, try to adjust the head re­
straint so that it is as close to this position as
possible
¢ page 89.
.. 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 56, General
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 airbag as it
deploys. To help reduce the risk of serious per­
sonal injury:
- Passengers must always sit in an upright po­
sition and never lean against or place any
part of their body too close to the area
where the airbags are located.
- Passengers who are unbelted, out of posi­
tion or too close to the airbag can be seri­
ously injured by an airbag as it deploys with
great force in the blink of an eye.
-Always make sure that there are at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the front pas­
senger's breastbone and the instrument panel.
- Always make sure that there are at least
4 inches (10 cm) between the front passen­
ger's knees and the lower part of the instru­ ment 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 pas­
senger seat and head restraint properly.
- Always keep your feet on the floor in front
of the seat. Never rest them on the seat, in­
strument panel, out of the window, etc. The
airbag system and safety belt will not be
able to protect you properly and can even in­
crease the risk of injury 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 injury due
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mats wi ll prevent them from sliding into posi ­
tions that cou ld interfere wit h the peda ls or im­
pa ir safe operation of your veh icle in other ways .
A WARNING
Pedals that cannot move freely can result in a
loss of vehicle control and increase the r isk of
ser ious personal injury.
- Always make sure that floor mats are prop­
erly secured .
- Never place or insta ll floor mats or other
floor coverings in the veh icle that cannot be
properly secured in place to prevent them
from slipping and interfering w ith the ped­
als or the ability to control the veh icle.
- Never place or install floor mats or other
floor coverings on top of already installed
floo r mats. Add itiona l floo r mats and other
cove rings w ill reduce the si ze of the pedal
area and interfere w ith the ped als.
- Always properly reinstall and se cu re f loor
m ats that have been taken ou t for clean ing .
- Always make sure that objects cannot fall
into the dr iver footwell while the vehicle is
moving. Objects can become tr apped under
the brake pedal and accelerator peda l caus ­
ing a loss of vehicle contro l.
Stowing luggage
Loading the luggage compartment
All luggage and other objects must be properly
stowed and secured in the luggage compart­
ment .
Loose items in the luggage compartment can
shift suddenly, changing vehicle handling charac­
ter istics. Loose items can also increase the risk of
serious personal injury in a sudden veh icle ma ­
neuver or in a coll is ion.
In a collis ion, the laws of p hys ics mean that even
smal ler items that are loose in the vehicle will
become heavy miss iles that can cause ser ious in ­
jury . Items in the vehicle possess energy which
va ry w ith vehicle speed and the we ight of the
item. Vehicle speed is the mos t significant fa ctor.
Dr iving Sa fel y
For example, in a frontal collision at a speed o f
30 mp h (48 km/h) , the forces acting o n a 10-lb
(4 .5 kg) object are about 20 t imes the norma l
weight of the item. This means that the weight of the item would sudden ly be about
200 lbs . (90 kg) . You can imagine the injuries
that a 200 lbs. (90 kg) item flyi ng freely throug h
the passeng er compartment co uld cause in a col­
li sion like this.
A WARNING
Imp roperly store d luggage or other items c an
fly through the vehicle causing serio us pe r­
sonal injury in the event of hard braking or an
accident . To help reduce the risk of ser ious
personal injury:
- Always put o bjects, fo r example, luggage o r
other heavy items in the luggage compart­
ment.
A WARNING
Heavy loads w ill influence the way yo ur vehi­
cle hand les . To help reduce the r isk of a loss
of contro l leading to serious pe rsonal injury:
- Always keep in mind when transporting
heavy objects , that a change in the center of
grav ity can also cause changes in vehicle
handling .
- Never exceed the Gross Axle We ight Rating
or the G ross Vehicle We ight Rating specified
on the safety compliance stic ker on the left
door jamb. Exceeding pe rm issib le weight
s ta nd ards c an cause the veh icle to slide and
h a ndle differently.
- Please observe informa tion on safe dr iving
~page 86.
A WARNING
Always make sure that the doo rs, all windows
and the front lid a re secure ly close d and
l ocke d to reduce the r isk of injury when the
vehicle is not be ing used .
- Afte r closing the front lid, always make sure
that it is proper ly closed and locked .
- Never leave your vehicle una ttended espe­
cially with the f ront lid left open . A child
-
91

Safety belts
• Adjust the front seat and head restraint correct ­
ly
c::> page 56 , General recommendations .
• Make sure the seatback of the rear seat bench is
in upright position and secure ly latched in place
before using the belt.
• Hold the be lt by the tongue and pull it evenly
across the chest and pelvis
c::> fig . 113 , c::> _&..
• Insert the tongue into the correct buckle of
you r seat until you hea r it latch securely
c::>page 98, fig. 111 .
•Pullon the belt to make sure that it is securely
latched in the buck le .
A WARNING
-
Improperly positioned safety belts can cause
ser ious personal injury in an acc ident.
- Expectant mothers must a lways wear the
lap portion of the safety belt as low as pos­
sible across the pelv is and below the round­
ing of the abdomen.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important information
c::> A in Fasten­
ing safety belts on page
99 .
Unfastening safety belts
Unbuckle the safety belt with the red release
bu tton only ofter the vehicle hos stopped .


Fig. 114 Relea sing the tongue from the buckle
• Pu sh the red re lease button on the buckl e
c::> fig. 114. The belt tongue wi ll spring ou t of
the buckle
c::> ,&.
• Let the belt wind up on the retractor as you
guide the belt tongue to its stowed position .
100
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A WARNING
Never unfasten safety be lt while the vehicle is
moving . Do ing so will increase your risk of be ­
ing injured or killed.
Improperly worn safety belts
Incorrectly positioned safety belts con cause se­
vere injuries.
Wearing safety belts improperly can cause seri­
ous injury or death . Safety belts can only work
when they are correctly positioned on the body.
Improper seating positions reduce the effective ­
ness of safety belts and wi ll even increase the risk
of injury and death by mov ing the safety belt to
critical areas of the body. Imp roper seat ing pos i­
tions also increase the risk of serious injury and
death when an airbag deploys and strikes an oc­
cupant who is not in the correct seating position.
A driver is responsible for the safety of all vehicle
occupants and especially for chi ldren . Therefore:
• Never permit anyone to assume an incorrect sit­
ting positio n in the vehicle while travel ing
c::> _&. .
A WARNING
Improperly worn safety belts increase the r isk
of serious personal injury and death whenever
a veh icle is being used .
- Always make sure that all vehicle occupants
are correctly restrained and stay in a correct
seating position whenever the vehicle is be­
ing used .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important information
c::> page 97.
Safety belt preten-
.
s1oners
How safety belt pretensioners work
In front, side and rear end collisions and in a
rollover above a particular severity, saf ety belts
in use are tensioned automatically .
The safety belts for the front seating positions
are equipped with safety belt pretensioners. The ..,.

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- An electronic control uni t, with integrated
crash sensors for front an d side impacts. The
control unit "decides" whether to fire the front
airbags based o n the information received from
the cras h sensors . The control un it also "de­
c ides" whether the safety be lt pretensioners
should be activated .
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator for the
driver inside the steering wheel hub .
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator inside
the instrument panel for the front passenger .
- A weight-sens ing mat under the upholstery
padd ing of the front passenger seat cush ion
that measures the total we ight on the seat . The
information registered is se nt cont inuously to
the e lectronic control unit to regulate dep loy­
ment of the front Advanced Airbag on the pas­
se nger side.
- An a irbag monito ring system and indicator
li ght in the inst rumen t cluster
¢page 112.
-The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and stays on in the cen ter of t he instrument
pane l
¢page 112, fig . 118 and te lls you when
the front Advanced Ai rbag on the passenger
side has been turned
off .
-A sensor be low the safety belt la tch for the
front seat passenger to measure the tension on
the safety be lt . The tension on the safety belt
and the weight registered by the weight-sens­
ing mat help the control unit "dec ide" whether
the front airbag for the front passenger seat
shou ld be turned
off or not ¢ page 103, Child
restraints on the front seat -some important
things to know.
- A sensor in the safety belt latch for the dr iver
and for the front seat passenger that senses
whether that safety belt is latched or not and
t ransmits th is info rmation to the electronic
control unit.
~ WARNING
Damage to the front passenger seat can pre ­
vent the front airbag from work ing proper ly .
- Improper repair or disassembly of the front
passenger and driver seat will prevent the
Advanced Airbag System from functioning properly .
Airbag syste m
- Repairs to the front passenger seat must be
pe rformed by qualified and properly t rained
workshop personne l.
- Never remove the front passenger or driver
seat from the vehicle.
- Never remove the upho lstery from the front
passenger seat.
- Never disassemble o r remove parts from the
seat or disconnect w ires from it.
- Never carry sharp objects in yo ur pockets or
place them on the seat. If the weight-sens­
ing mat in the passenger seat is punctured
it cannot work properly.
- Never carry things on your lap or carry ob­
jects on the passenger seat. S uch items can
increase the we ight registered by the
weight-sens ing mat and send the w rong in­
formation to the a irbag con trol unit .
- Never store items under the front passenger
seat . Pa rts of the Advanced Airbag System
under the passenger seat could be dam­
aged, p reventing them and the airbag sys­
tem from wo rking prope rly.
- Never p lace seat covers or rep lacement up­
hols tery that have not been specifically ap­
p rove d by Aud i on t he front se ats.
- Seat covers can prevent the Advanced Air­
bag Sys tem from recogni zing child re­
s traints or oc cupants on the front passenger
seat and prevent t he side a irbag in the seat
backrest from deploying properly.
- Never use cushions, pillows, b lan kets or
similar items on the front passenger seat .
The additional padding will prevent the
weight-sens ing mat in the seat from accu­
rately register ing the child restraint or per­
son on the seat and prevent the Advanced
Airbag System from functioning properly.
- If you must use a child restraint on the front
passenger seat and the child restraint man­
ufacturer 's instructions require the use of a
towel, foam cushion o r some thing else to
p roperly pos ition the c hild restra int , ma ke
certain that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on an d stays on whenever the
child restraint is installed on the front pas ­
senger seat .
109

Child Safety
"' You should hear a "clicking" noise as the be lt
winds back into the inertia ree l. Test the con­
vertib le lock ing retractor by pulling on the belt .
You should no longer be ab le to pull the be lt
out of the retractor. The convert ible locking re­
tractor is now activated.
"' Make sure that the red release button is facing
away from the ch ild restraint so that it can be
unbuckled quic kly.
"' Pull on the be lt to make sure the safety belt is
properly tight and fastened so tha t the seat
cannot move forwa rd or sideways more than
one inc h (2.5 cm).
A WARNING
Us ing the wrong child restra int or an improp­
er ly installed ch ild restra int can cause serious
personal injury or death in a crash .
- Always make sure that the safety belt re­
tractor is locked when installing a child safe­
ty seat . An un locked safety be lt retractor
cannot hold the ch ild safety seat in place
dur ing no rma l driving o r in a crash.
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly in
place even if a child is not s itting in it . A
loose child safety seat can fly around du ring
a sudden stop or in a crash.
- Always make sure the seat backrest to wh ich
t h e chi ld restraint is insta lled i s in an up­
right posi tion. Othe rwise , the seatback wi th
the chi ld safety seat at tached to it could fly
forward in the event of an accident o r other
emergency situation.
- Always read and heed all WARN INGS when ­
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used
r::!) page 122. Specia l precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat¢
page 103, Child
restraints on the front seat -some impor­
tant things to know .
132
· Deactivating the convertible locking
retractor
The convertible locking retractor for child re­
straints will be deactivated automatically when the belt is wound all the way back into the re­
tractor.
"' Press the red button on the safety belt buckle.
T he be lt tong ue will pop out of the b uc kle .
"' Guide the safety be lt a ll the way back into its
stowed position .
Always let the safety be lt ret ract completely i nto
i ts stowed pos it ion. The safe ty belt can now be
u sed as an ordina ry safety belt without the con­
vertib le locking retractor for child restraints .
If the conve rtib le locking retractor sho uld be ac­
tivated inadvertent ly, the sa fety be lt mus t be un­
fastened and guided comp letely back into its
stowed position to deactivate this feature .
If the
convertible locking retractor is not deactivated,
the safety belt will gradually become tighter and
uncomfortable to wear.
A WARNING
Improperly installed chi ld safety seats in­
crease the risk of serious pe rsonal injury and
death in a co llision.
-
- Never unfasten the safety belt to deactivate
the convertible locki ng retractor for child re­
straints while the vehicle is moving. You
wou ld not be restra ined and could be ser i­
ously inj ured in an accident.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when­
eve r using a child res trained in a vehicle is
be ing used
¢page 122. Special precaut ions
apply when installing a child sa fety seat on
the front passenger seat
¢ page 103, Child
restraints on the front seat -some impor­
tant things to know.
Additional Information
Sources of information about child
. restraints and their use
There are a number of sources of additiona l infor­
mation about child restraint se lection, insta lla­
tion and use :

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This can cause a temporary reduction in braking
force compared to dry brakes. You can compen­
sate for this by pressing the brake pedal harder.
Cor ro sion
There may be a tendency for dirt to bui ld up on
the brake pads and corrosion to fo rm on the discs
if the car is not driven regularly or only for short
trips with little use of the brakes.
If the b rakes are not used frequently, or if corro­
sion has formed on the discs, it is advisab le to
clean off the pads and discs by braking firmly a
few times from a moderately high speed
c:> &. .
Faults in the brake sy stem
If you should notice a sudden increase in brake
pedal travel, then one of the two brake circuits
may have fai led
c:> .&, .
Low brak e flu id le vel
Malfunct ions can occur in the brake system if the
brake fluid level is too low. The brake flu id leve l is
monitored e lectronically.
Br ake power assis t un it
T he brake power assist unit increases the pres­
sure that you generate with the brake pedal.
It
works only when the eng ine is running .
Brak e lining wear sta tu s
Brake lining wear may be checked by visual in­
spection of the condition of the brake pads
through the openings in the wheel. If necessary,
the wheel may be removed for this inspection
c:> page 203 .
.8, WARNING
-New brake pads don't have the best stop­
ping power and must be "broken-in" during
the init ial 250 mi les ( 400 km) of normal city
driving. The break -in period can be consider­
ably longer for vehicles with ceramic brake
rotors *. You can compensate for this by
pressing the brake pedal more firmly. This
also applies later when new pads are instal­
led .
- You should perform brak ing maneuvers for
the purpose of clean ing the brake system
Int elli ge nt te chn olo gy
only if road conditions permit. Other road
users must not be put at r isk -you may
cause an accident!
- Before descending a steep grade, reduce
speed and sh ift transmission into a lower
gear or lower dr iving range. Do not ride the
brakes or hold the pedal down too long or
too often. This could cause the bra kes to get
hot and dimin ish braking effic iency .
- Do not "ride the brakes" by rest ing your foot
on the pedal when you do not intend to
brake. This may cause the brakes to over­
heat, premat ure wear and increased stop­
ping distance.
- Under certain cl imatic and operat ing condi ­
tions such as passing thro ugh water, dr iv ing
in heavy rain or after washing the vehicle,
the effectiveness of the brakes can be re­
duced . In winter, ice can accumulate on the
brake pads, lin ings, discs and drums. Care­
fully apply brakes for a test. Brakes will dry and ice coatings will be cleaned off after a
few careful brake applications.
- Driving for an extended period of t ime on
salt-covered roads without using your brakes can also affect braking efficiency .
Clean off accum ulated salt coating from
b rake discs and pads with a few cautious
brake applications.
- If you damage the front spoiler, or if you in­
stall a different spoiler, be su re the air flow
to the front brakes is not obstructed . O ther­
wise the brake system could overheat reduc­
ing the effectiveness of the entire brake sys­
tem .
- Fai lure of one brake circuit will impai r the
braking capability resu lting in an increased
stopping distance . Avoid driving the vehicle
and have it towed to the nearest Aud i dea ler
or qualif ied workshop.
- Never let the vehicle roll to a stop with the
engine shut off.
- If the brake booster is not working, for ex­
ample when towing your veh icle, or because
the brake booster has somehow been dam­
aged, the brake pedal must be pressed con ­
siderably harder to make up for the lack of booster assistance.
1 37