2015 AUDI R8 SPYDER ignition

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With the door contact circuit, the interior lights
turn on as soon as you unlock the veh icl e or open
the doors . The interior lights are also turned on
when the ignition key is removed . The lights turn
off about 30 seconds afte r the doors are closed .
When the veh icle is locked or when the ignition is
turned o n, the inter ior lights are turned off .
When a door is open , the interior lights are
turned off after about 10 m inutes to preven t bat­
tery draining .
T he brightness of the lights is controlled a uto­
mat ica lly by a d immer when they a re sw itched
on/off.
Instrument panel illumination
T he illumination of the instruments, displays
and the center console can be adjusted .
Fig . 59 In strument pa nel ill uminatio n
You regulate the brightnes s of the ins truments
with the left th umbwhee l
C:1 i::;,fig. 59.
Ign ition ON , light switch at @
With the ignition switched ON, the glow of in ­
strument needles
can be adjusted to appear
brighter or d immer .
Ignition ON , light switch at :oo~ or tD .
With the lights sw itched on, the brightness of in­
strument cluster (i.e. needles, gauges and dis­
plays) a nd center console il lum ination ca n be ad ­
justed .
(D Note
The instrument cluster and center console il­
lum inat io n (gauges and needles) comes on
when you sw itch on the ig nitio n and the
ve hi-
Cle ar vi sion
cle headlight s are off . Be aware of the fo llow ­
ing difference between models b uilt to US or
Canadian specif ications:
- USA models: ill umination of the i nstr ument
cl uster (gauges and need les) , dash and cen­
ter console around the gearsh ift lever is
controlled by a light sensor located in the
instrument panel. The instrume nt pane l il­
lum ination w ill automatically become
dimme r as the daylight fades away and
eventua lly will go out comp letely when out­
side light is very low . Thi s is to rem ind you,
t he driver, to switch on t he headlights be­
fore it gets too dark .
- Cana da model s: instrument panel illumina­
t ion will s tay bright regar dless o f the inten­
si ty of ambien t light . Always be aware o f
changes in outside lig ht conditions while
you are driving. Respond in t ime to fading
daylight by turning the light sw itch to posi­
tion ~D (or "AUTO" if your car is equipped
w ith this feat ure) to turn on your head­
lights .
Luggage compartment light
The light is located on the right side of the lug­
gage compa rtment .
These lights come on automatically when the
front lid is opened . The lights turn off automati­
c a lly if the lid is left o pen fo r more then 10 mi­
nutes .
Vision
Adjusting the exterior mirrors
Fig. 60 Forward sect io n of driver 's armrest: pow er mirr or
con trol s ...
49

Clear vision
in the interval wipe position and then come back
a while later and drive off, the rain sensor will re­
activate itself after the vehicle speed has exceed­
ed 4 mph (6 km/h).
The rain sensor* is only activated with the wiper
lever set to position(!). When it starts to rain,
the rain sensor will automatically activate the in­
termittent wiping mode.
To reduce the sensitivity of the sensor, move
switch @ down. To increase the sensitivity, move
the switch up. The higher you adjust the sensitivi­
ty, the faster the sensor will react when it senses moisture on the windshield. The pauses between
wiper turns depend not only on the sensitivity setting, but on the vehicle speed as well.
During brief stops, e.g . at a red light, wiper mo­
tion will automatically be reduced to the next
lower speed . Wipers already turning at low speed
change to intermittent wiping.
When the ignition is turned on, the washer jets
are heated.
A WARNING
- Wiper blades are crucial for safe driving! On­
ly when they are in good condition are they
able to clear the windows properly to pro­
vide uncompromising visibility. Worn or
damaged wiper blades are a safety hazard
¢ page 53, Replacing windshield wiper
blades!
- The light/rain sensor* is only designed to as­
sist and support the driver. It remains en­
tirely the driver's responsibility to monitor outside weather conditions and to manually
activate the wipers as soon as rain or drizzle
reduces visibility through the windshield .
- The windshield must not be treated with
water-repellent materials. They can increase
glare under poor visibility conditions such as
wetness, darkness, or when the sun is low
on the horizon . In addition, they can cause
the windshield wipers to chatter.
(D Note
In freezing or near freezing conditions:
52
- Always check that the wiper blades are not
frozen to the glass before you turn the wip­
ers on. Loosen a wiper blade which is frozen
in place before operating the wipers to pre­
vent damage to the wiper blade or the wiper
motor .
- Do not use the wipers to clear a frosted win­
dow. Using the wipers as a convenient ice
scraper will destroy the wiper blades .
- Before you take your vehicle to an automatic
car wash, make sure you have the wind­
shield wiper system switched off (lever in position
0), otherwise the windshield wiper
system could get damaged in the car wash if
it should suddenly come on.
(D Tips
- The windshield wipers are switched off
when the ignition is turned off. Activate the
windshield wipers after the ignition is
switched back on by moving the windshield
wiper lever to any position.
- Worn or dirty windshield wiper blades cause
smearing, which can affect the operation of
the light/rain sensor*. Check the condition
of your windshield wiper blades regularly.
- The rain sensor is part of the interval wiping
system. Turning off the ignition will also de­
activate the rain sensor . To reactivate the
sensor, switch off the interval wiping func­
tion, then switch it back on again.
- Applies to vehicles with light/rain sensor:
When the wipers are switched on manually
and in rain conditions, the automatic head­
lights* turn on <=>
page 46, Lights or off dur­
ing the day when the wipers are no longer
operating. The automatic headlights* func­
tion is available in this case only when the
light switch is in the "AUTO" position
<=>
page 46, fig. 55.
- Make sure the washer fluid reservoir in the
engine compartment is topped off before
going on a long trip. Look up<=>
page 168
for checking and filling the washer contain­
er.
- The wipers only operate with the hood com­
pletely closed.

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Service position
It is only possible to change wiper blades if you move the wiper arms to the service position .
In order to use the windshield wipers, the front
lid must be completely closed.
Moving wiper bla de s to th e serv ice positi on
• When there is a risk of frost, make sure that the
wiper blades are not frozen to the windshield.
• Switch the ignition on.
• Move the wiper lever to position
O i:> page 51,
fig. 63.
• Press the
!RESE T I button unt il the Di spla y ty pe
menu appears in the Driver Information System
display .
• Usi ng the rocke r switch a nd the
!RESET I b utton,
select the
Se t> Wip ers > Fr ont > S ervi ce pos i­
ti on on
function. The windshie ld wiper arms
move to the service position.
Moving wi per blades to park position
• Make ce rtain that the wiper arms are lying
against the w indshie ld.
• Switch the ignition on and move the w iper lever
from position Oto
4 i:> page 51, fig. 63 . The
wiper arms will move back to the park position.
(D Note
Never drive yo ur vehicle when the windshield
wiper arms are in the service position and
pulled away from the windshield. When you
drive faster than 4 mph (6 km/h), the wiper
arms automatically return to the park posi­
tion and could cause paint damage to the
front lid!
(D Tips
- You can also turn on the service pos ition, for
example, if you want to protect the wind­
sh ield from ic ing by using a cover .
- The service position moves to
off automati­
cally when you operate the windshield w iper
lever, or speed exceeds 4 mph (6 km/h) .
Clear vi sion
Cleaning windshield wiper blades
Clean the windshie ld w iper b lades when they be­
gin to leave strea ks. Use a soft cloth and g lass
cleaner to clean t he windshie ld w iper blades.
• Place the windshie ld w iper arms in the service
position. Refe r to
c> page 53.
• Lift the wiper a rm away from the front window .
& WARNING
-
Dirty windsh ield wiper b lades can impair your
view. This can lead to accidents.
Replacing windshield wiper blades
Wiper blades in good condition help keep the
windshield clear.
F ig. 6 4 Unlatching wiper blades
Fig. 65 Removing wiper blades
Remo ving the wiper bl ade
• Move the wipers to the service position
i=>page53.
.,. Fold the windshield wiper arm away from the
glass .
• On the upper end of the wiper arm at the corru­
gation, squeeze the plastic retainer together on
bo th s ides in the direction of the arrow
i=>fig . 64. ..,_
53

Clear vision
... Rotate the w iper blade in the direction of the
arrow @c:>
fig. 65 away from the wiper arm.
... Lift the wiper blade
off in the direction of the
arrow @.
Install ing the wiper blade
" Place the rounded end of the wiper onto the
end of the wiper arm in the
oppo site direction
to the arrow @c:>
fig. 65.
"Squee ze the corrugation on the wiper until you
hear it click in the wiper arm .
" Fo ld the w iper arm back onto the windshield .
... Switc h the ignition on and move the wiper lever
down br iefly
c:> page 51, fig. 63 . The wiper w ill
move back to the park position .
_& WARNING
For your safety, you should replace the wiper
blades once or tw ice a year . See your a utho r­
ized Audi dea le r f or replacement b lades.
(D Note
- The wipe r blades may only be changed
c:> page 53 in the serv ice position! O ther­
wise, you r is k damaging the paint on the
front lid or t he windshie ld wiper motor.
- To he lp preven t damage to the wipe r sys ­
tem, a lways loosen blades which are frozen
to the windshie ld before ope rating wipers .
- To he lp prevent d amage to w iper blades, do
not use gaso line, kerosene, paint th inner, or
other solvents o n or near the wiper b lades.
- To he lp prevent damage to the wipe r arms
or other components, do not attempt to move the wipers by hand .
- Commerc ial hot waxes applie d by au tom atic
ca r washes affect the cleanability of the
glass surface .
- T he front wipe r blades a re d ifferent le ng ths;
the blade on the driver 's side is longer .
54
Digital compass
Activating or deactivating the compass
Applies to ve hicles: w ith d igital compass
Fig. 66 Insi de rea rv iew m irror: d ig ital co mpass activated
... To activate or deactivate, hold the @button
down until the red display appears o r disap­
pears .
The dig ital compass only works with the ignition
turned on . T he d irect ions are displayed as init ials:
N (North), NE (Northeast), E (East), SE (South ­
east),
S (South), SW (Southwest), W (West), NW
(Northwest).
The compass has to be recalibrated if the d isplay
i s wrong or inaccurate c:>
page 55.
@ Tips
-To avoid inaccurate directions, do not allow
any remote co ntro ls, electrical systems , or
meta l parts close to the mirror .
- Th e correct magnet ic deflection zone must
be set in order to display the directi ons cor­
rectly.

Seats and storag e
-Be careful when adjusting the seat height.
Check to see that no one is in the way, or
serious injury could result!
- Because the seats can be electrically adjust­
ed with the ignition key removed, never
leave children unattended in the vehicle. Un­
supervised use of the electric seat adjust­
ments may cause serious inj ury.
- To reduce the r isk of injury i n the case of
sudden braking or accident, front passen­ gers must never ride in a mov ing vehicle
with the seatback reclined. Safety belts and
t h e a irbag sys tem offer maximum protec­
t ion only when the seatback is upr ight and
the safety be lts are properly positioned on
the body . The more the seatback is reclined,
the greater the risk of personal in ju ry from
an incorrect seating position and improperly
positioned safety be lts!
- Always make sure the front seatbacks are in
th e upright posit io n and securely locked in
place when driving.
Head restraints
Adjusting head restraints
The head restraints must be adjusted properly to
provide protection.
F ig. 69 Drive r"s seat head restraint : adjusting the height
The head restraints on the front seats can be ad­
justed to provide safe support to head and neck
at the optimum height . When optimally adjust­
ed, the top of the restra int should be leve l w ith
the top of the head
¢ page 89 .
• Grasp the sides of the head restraint with both
hands and slide it upward/downward until you
feel it click into place
¢ fig . 69.
58
A WARNING
-Dr iving without head restraints or with head
restraints that are not properly adjusted in­
creases the risk of ser ious or fatal neck in­
jury dramat ically.
- Read and heed all WARNINGS
<=> page 89,
Proper adjustment of head restraints.
@ Tips
Correct ly adjusted head restraints and safety
belts are an extremely effective combination
of safety features.
Cup holder
Fi g. 70 Cup ho lder
A WARNING
Spilled hot liquid can cause an accident and
personal injury.
- Never carry any beverage co nta iners with
hot liqu ids, such as hot coffee or hot tea, in
the vehicle while it is moving. In case of an
accident, s udden braking or other veh icle
movement, hot liquid cou ld spill, caus ing
scalding burns. Spilled hot liquid can also
cause an acciden t and personal injury.
- Use on ly soft cu ps in the cupholder. Hard
cups and glasses can cause injury in an acci ­
dent .
- Never use the cup holder or ad apter as an
ashtray -risk o f fire.
(D Note
Only d rink contai ne rs with lids should be car­
r ied in the cupho lde r. Liqu id could sp ill out
-

Seats and storag e
braking or in an accident -especially if the
airbag is dep loyed -these objects could in­
jure any passengers ins ide the vehicle.
Glove compartment
The glove comportment is illuminated and con
be locked.
F ig. 72 Glove compartment
.,. To open the glove compartment, pull the han­
dle in the direction of the arrow
9 fig. 72 and
swing the cove r down to open .
.,. To close the glove compartment, p us h the
glove compartment lid upward unti l the lock
engages.
The glove compartment light comes on as the parking or dr iving lights are switched on and the
compartment is opened. You will find a g lasses
case in the lid.
The glove compartment has a standard 12-volt socket for co nnecting e lectrica l accessories . The
power cons umption at the outlet must not ex­
ceed 100 watts . The socket works on ly with the
ignition switched on.
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of personal injury in an acci­
dent o r sudden stop, a lways keep the glove
compartment closed wh ile driving .
Storage compartment in the front seats
Applies to veh icles: w ith storage compartment in the front
seats
There is a fold-out storage compartment in the
front of the seats.
60
.,. To open the storage compartment, lift the han ­
dle and pull the drawer out .
.,. To close the storage compartment, push the
drawer in completely until it latches.
(D Tips
The maximum carrying capacity 2.2 lbs.
(1 kg).
Storage compartments between the seat
backrests
The storage comportments ore illuminated and
con be locked with the vehicle key.
Fi g. 73 Storage compart men ts betwee n th e seat backrests
The CD changer * or t he A ud i M usic Interface* are
l ocated in the lowe r storage compartment .
.,. To open the upper storage compartment, fold
t he lid upward in the direc tion of the arrow@
9fig. 73 .
.,. To open the lower storage compartment, fold
the lid downward in the direction of the arrow
@ .
A WARNING -
Always keep t he storage compartments
closed when driving to help reduce the risk of i n jury.
(D Tips
Both lids m ust be closed in order to lock the
compartments.

On the road
On the road
Steering
Adjusting the steering wheel column
The steering wheel position can be continuously
adjusted in height and distance .
Fig. 76 Lever u nde r the stee rin g co lumn
... Push the lever ¢ fig. 76 down ¢ _&.. .
... Move the steering wheel to the desired posi­
tion .
... Push the lever against the steering column un-
til it locks .
There must be at least 10 inches (25 cm) be­
tween your chest and the center of the steering
wheel. If you cannot sit more than 10 inches (25
cm) from the steering wheel, see if adaptive
equipment is ava ilable to help you reach the ped­
als and increase the distance from the steering
wheel.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
driver's seat, see
¢ page 57.
A WARNING
Improper use of steering wheel adjustment
and improper seating position can cause seri­
ous pe rsonal injury.
- Adjust the steering wheel column only when
the vehicle is not moving to prevent loss of
vehicle control.
- Adjust the driver's seat or stee ring wheel so
that there is a minimum of 10 inches (25
cm) between your chest and the steering
wheel¢
page 87, fig. 100. If you cannot
maintain this min imum distance, the airbag
system cannot protect you proper ly.
66
- If physical limitations prevent you from sit­
ting 10 inches (25 cm) or more from the steering wheel, check with your authorized
Audi dealer to see if adaptive equipment is
available.
- If the steering wheel is aligned with your
face, the supplemental dr iver's airbag can­
not p rov ide as much protection in an acci­
dent. Always make sure that the steering
wheel is aligned with your chest.
- Always hold the steering wheel w ith your
hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock posi­
tions to reduce the risk of persona l injury if
the dr iver's airbag dep loys.
- Never hold the steering wheel at the 12 o'clock position or with your hands inside
the steering wheel rim or on the steering
wheel h ub. Holding the steering wheel the
wrong way can cause serious injuries to the hands, arms and head if the driver's airbag
deploys.
Ignition Lock/Ignition
switch
Ignition lock
The ignition key starts or stops the engine.
Fig. 77 Ign it ion lock posit ions
Ignit ion off CD
In position ¢ fig. 77 (D both the ignition and en­
gine are off, and the steering is locked.
To
l ock the steering after you have removed the
ignition key, t urn the steering wheel in either di­
rection until you hear it lock into place. You
should always lock the steering whenever you .,.

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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