2015 AUDI R8 SPYDER warning light

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Anti-loc k br aking sy stem (ABS )
ABS prevents the wheels from locking up when
brak ing . T he vehicle can st ill be stee red even dur ­
ing hard braking. App ly steady pressure to the
brake peda l. Do not pump the peda l. A pulsing in
the brake pedal indicates that the system is help­
ing you to brake the vehicle.
Brake assist sy ste m
The brake assist system can decrease braking dis ­
tance. It increases braking power when the dr iver
presses the brake pedal quick ly in emergency sit­
uations. You must press and ho ld the brake pedal
until the situation is over.
Anti -slip regulation (ASR )
ASR reduces engine power when the drive whee ls
begin to spin and adapts the force to the road
conditions. This makes it easier to start, acceler ­
ate and dr ive up h ills.
Electronic diff erential lock (EDL )
The EDL brakes wheels that are spinning and
transfers the drive power to the other drive wheel or wheels if the vehicle is equipped w ith all-whee l
drive*. This function is available up to about 60
mph (100 km/h) .
I n extreme cases , EDL automatically switches off
to help keep the brake on the braked wheel from
overheating . EDL wi ll switch on again automati­
cally when conditions have returned to normal.
A WARNING
- ESC, ABS, ASR and EDL cannot overcome the
laws of phys ics. Th is is especially important
on slippery or wet roads. If the syst ems be­
gin act ing to stab ilize your vehicle, you
sho uld immediately cha nge your speed to
match the roa d and traffic con ditions. Do
not let the increased safety provided by
these systems tempt you to take risks . Do­
ing so wi ll increase the risk of a loss of vehi­
cle contro l, collis ion and serio us personal in­
juries .
- Always adapt your speed to road, traffic and
weather cond it ions. The risk of losing con­
tro l of the veh icle increases when driving
Int ellig ent t echnolo gy
too fast, especially through curves and on
slippery or wet roads, and when dr iving too
close to vehicles up ahead. ESC, ABS, the
brake assist system, EDL and ASR cannot
prevent coll is ions .
- Always accelerate with special care on even,
smooth surfaces such as those that are wet
or covered with ice and snow. The drive
wheels can spin even with these assistance sys tems that cannot always help to reduce
the risk of loss of veh icle control.
(D Tips
- ABS and ASR only wo rk correctly when all
four wheels are eq uipped with ident ical
tire s. Different tire s izes can lead to a reduc­
t ion i n engine power.
- Yo u may hear noises when the systems de­
sc ribed a re wo rking.
- If the ind icator light GJ or II (USA mod­
els) ;tiJ (Canada models) appea rs, there
may be a malfunction~
page 15,
~ page 15.
Switching on/off
ESC turns on automatically when you start the
engine.
SPORT •
Fig . 12 6 Cente r co nsole wit h lJ bu tto n
ESC sport mode
In certain situations, it might make sense to a l­
low some slip. For example:
- Rocking the vehicle to free it when it is st uck
- Driving in deep snow or on loose gro und
- Dr iving with snow chains
135

Intelligent technology
Press the I!! button briefly¢ fig. 126 . The II in­
dicator light turns on and Sport control Warn­
ing! Restricted st abilit y appears in the driver in­
formation system d isplay. Driving stability is lim­
ited in sport mode.
Sw itch ing ESC off
Press and hold the
l!I button for three seconds .
The ESC indicator light
fl turns on and Stabil i­
z atio n prog ram off appears in the display. ASR is
also switched off when ESC is sw itched off.
Sw itch ing on
Press the
l!J button again. The message Stabili­
zation progr am on appears briefly in the disp lay .
_& WARNING
You should only sw itch the ESC off if your dr iv­
ing ability and the traffic s ituation allow. This
could increase the risk of slipp ing.
- The stabilizing function is limited in ESC
sport mode. The driving wheels could spin and the vehicle could swerve, especially on
slick or slippery road surfaces.
- There is no vehicle stabilization when ESC is
switched off.
(D Tips
If there is a malfunction in the retractable
rear spo iler* or the A udi magnetic ride*, it
may not be possible to activate ESC sport
mode or normal mode may act ivate aga in au­
tomatically.
Braking
What affects braking efficiency?
New brake pad s
During the f irst 250 miles (400 km), new brake
pads do not possess the ir full braking effect, they
have to be "broken in" first¢.&. . The break- in pe­
riod can be considerab ly longer for vehicles w ith
ceramic b rake roto rs*. You can compensate for
this s light ly reduced b ra ki ng power by push ing
ha rder on the b rake peda l. Avoid heavy braking
loads during the bre ak-in period.
136
Operating conditions and driving habits
The bra kes on today's automobiles a re s till sub­
j ect to wear, depend ing largely on operating con ­
ditions and driving habits ¢& . On vehicles that
a re either driven most ly in stop-and-go city traf­
fic or are driven hard, the brake pads should be
checked by your authorized Aud i dealer more of­
te n tha n specified in the Warranty
& Maint e­
nance bookl et. Failure to have you r brake pads
i nspected can resu lt in reduced b rake pe rform­
ance.
On steep slopes, you shou ld use the braking ef­
fect of the engine . This way, you prevent un nec­
essary wear on the brake system . If you must use
you r brakes, do not hold the bra kes down cont in­
u o usly. Pump the brakes at in tervals.
Operating noise
Noises may occur when braki ng depending on the
speed, braking force and outs ide cond it ions such
as tempera ture and hum idity.
Due to the nature of the materia ls used i n ceram­
i c brake rotors*, noises may become more appa­
r ent at low speeds.
Effect of water and road salt
In certa in situations, for examp le after driv ing
through water , in heavy rain, after overnight con­
densation or after washing your car, the braking
effect can be reduced by moisture or ice on the
brake rotors and brake pads . The brakes must be
dr ied fi rst w ith a few careful b rake app lications.
At higher speeds and with the windsh ield wipers
turned on, the brake pads press against the brake r otors for a short amount of time. This occurs at
r egular intervals without the dr iver not ic ing and
provides fo r be tter brake response time under
wet cond it ions.
The effect iveness of the brakes ca n be red uced
when the v ehicle is d riv en on a salt-cove red road
and the b rakes are no t used. Likewise, you clean
off a ccumula ted salt coating from b rake d iscs
and pads with a few ca utious app lications of the
brake ¢& .
D ue to the ir sur fa ce character istics, cerami c
brake ro tors * absorb moistu re in such co ndi tions . ..,.

Intelligent technology
Rear spoiler
The rear spoiler improves vehicle handling and
enhances driver control.
SPORT •
Fig. 127 Switch for rear spoiler
The rear spoiler deploys and retracts. Spo iler op­
eration can be set for automatic or manual oper­
ation.
Automatic mode (normal operation)
-Extending automatically: This occurs when driv­
ing faster than approximately
62 mph (100
km/h) or at a certain engine compartment tem­
perature1l.
- Retracting automatically: This occurs when
driv ing s lower than approximate ly
22 mph (35
km/h) or at a certain engine compartment tem­
perature1l.
Manual mode
- Extending manually: Press the switch
~ fig. 12 7 briefly to extend the rear spoi ler
completely.
- Retracting manually: When dr iving at speeds
below approximately
12 mph (20 km/h), press
and hold the switch to retract the rear spoiler.
When dr iving at speeds between
12 mph and
62 mph (20 km/h and 100 km/h), press the
switch briefly to retract the rear spoiler com­
pletely. You cannot retract the rear spoiler if it
extended due to the engine compartment tem­
perature.
1 > The rear spoiler only extends or retracts above a certain
e ngine temperature in some mode ls.
138
Indicator light
When the indicator light I-· appears, there is a
system malfunction. The rear spoi ler may not be
able to extend. This could change the vehicle's
driving character istics at high speeds. Do not ex­
ceed 87 mph
(140 km/h). Drive to your author­
i zed Audi dealer immediately to have the mal­
function corrected.
A WARNING
-
Driving at h igher speeds without the rear
spoiler deployed can impair handling charac­
ter istics, making the vehicle harder to control.
- Improper operation of the rear spoiler can
cause crushing injuries. A lways make sure
that nobody , especial ly children, is in the
way when the rear spoiler is deployed or re­
tracted.
- Always obey speed limits and other traffic
laws.
- Hot air from the engine compartment can
escape through the rear spoiler when it is
open and it could burn you.
(D Note
-Never push the vehicle or apply force to the
rear spoiler -it could be damaged.
- To prevent damage to the rear spo iler do
not lean or place anything on it.
- Only operate the rear spo iler manually when
the engine compartment lid is closed and
the rear spoiler moving parts are not
bloc ked. Otherwise, damage could occur.
(D Tips
Clean the spoiler compartment every 2 to 3
months. The spoiler compartment must al­
ways be free of ice, snow, leaves or other de­
bris.

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Vehicle care and cleaning General information
Regular, proper care helps to maintain your vehi ­
cle's value.
It can a lso be a req uirement when
submitting warranty claims for corrosion damage
and paint defects on the body.
The required cleaning and care products can be
obtained from your authorized Audi dea ler or a
qualified workshop. Read and follow the instruc­
tions for use on the packaging.
A WARNING
-Us ing clean ing and care products incorrectly
can be dangerous to your health.
- Always store cleaning and care products out
of reach of children to reduce the r isk of poi­
soning.
@ For the sake of the environment
- Preferably use environmentally-friendly products when buying cleaning agents.
- Do not dispose of leftover cleaning and care
products with household trash.
Car washes
The longer deposits remain on the vehicle, the
more the surface can be damaged. High tempera­
tures such as those caused by sunlight increase
the damaging effect .
Before washing, wet heavy deposits with plenty
of water.
Stubborn depos its such as bird droppings or tree
sap are best removed with plenty of water and a
microfiber cloth .
A lso, was h the underside of your vehicle once
road salt stops being used for the season.
Pressure washers
When washing your veh icles w ith a pressure
washer, always follow the operating instructions
"' provided with the pressure washer. This is espe-
r--
~ cially important in regard to the pressure and
; spraying distance . Do not aim the spray directly
~ at seals on side windows, doors, the engine com -,.... Vehicle care and cleaning
partment lid, the front lid
or the convertible top
or at tires, rubber hoses, insulating material
orsensors* or camera lenses *. Keep a distance of
at least 16 inches (40 cm).
Do not remove snow and ice with a pressure
washer .
Never use rotary nozzles or high pressure noz­
zles.
The water temperature must not be above 140 °F
(60 °().
Automatic car washes
Spray off the veh icle before washing.
Make sure that the windows are closed and the
windshield wipers are off. Follow instructions
from the car wash operator, especially if there are
accessor ies attached to your vehicle .
If possible, use car washes that do not have
brushes .
Only use car washes where the vehicle remains
stationary and the washing equipment moves
around t he vehic le when washing and drying. Car
washes that move the vehicle through the car
wash using a chain are not recommended.
Washing by hand
Clean the vehicle starting from the top and work­
ing down using a soft sponge or cleaning brush.
Use solvent-free cleaning prod ucts .
Washing vehicles with matte finish paint by
hand
To avoid damaging the paint when washing, first
remove dust and large particles from your vehi ­
cle. Insects, grease spots and fingerprints are
best removed with a spec ia l cleaner for matte
finish paint.
Apply the prod uct using a microfiber cloth . To
avo id damaging the paint surface, do not use too
much pressure.
Rinse the vehicle thoroughly with water. Then
c lean using a neutral shampoo and a soft micro­
fiber cloth.
Rinse the vehi cle thoroughly again and let it air
dry. Remove any water residue using a sham my . .,.
145

Vehicle care and cleaning
A WARNING
-Only wash the vehicle when the ignition is
off and follow the instructions from the car
wash operator to reduce the risk of acci­
dents.
- To reduce the risk of cuts, protect yourself
from sharp metal components when wash­ ing the underbody or the inside of the wheel
housings.
- After washing the vehicle, the braking effect
may be delayed due to moisture on the
brake rotors or ice in the winter. The bra kes
must be dried first with a few caref ul brake
applications .
@ Note
-If you wash the ve hicle in an au tomatic car
wash, you must retract the extend able rear
spoi ler * if necessary, and fold the exterior
mirrors in to reduce the risk of damage .
Power folding exterior mirrors* must only
be fo lded in and out using the power folding
funct ion.
- To prevent paint damage, do not wash the
vehicle in direct sunlight.
- To red uce the risk of damage, do not wash
the power top with a pressure washer. -
To reduce the risk of damage, do not wash
decorative decals * with a pressure washer.
- T o reduce the risk of damage to the surface,
do not use insect remov ing sponges, kitchen
sponges or similar items.
- Matte finish painted vehicle components:
- To reduce the risk of damage to the sur-
face, do not use polish ing agents or hard
wax.
- Never use car wash cycles that apply pro­
tective wax. It can destroy the matte fin­ ish effect .
- Do not place any stickers or magnet ic
signs on vehicle parts painted w ith matte
finish paint. The pa int could be damaged
when the stickers o r magnets are re­
moved.
- Do not wash the vehicle using cleaning
products that contain alcohol when the en­
gine is hot. This increases the risk of dam­
age to plastic components, such as cracking.
@ For the sake of the environment
Only wash the vehicle in facilities spec ial ly de­
signed for that purpose. This w ill reduce the
risk of dirty water contaminated with oil from
entering the sewer system .
Cleaning and care information
When cleaning and caring for individual vehicle
components, refer to the following table . The in­
formation contained there is simp ly recommen­
dations. For questions or for components that are not listed, refer to an authorized Audi dealer
or a qualified workshop. A
lso fo llow the informa­
tion found in
¢ .&. .
Cleaning exterior
Component Situation Solution
Wiper blades
Dirty ¢ page 53, Cleaning windshield wiper blades
Headlights/ Dirty Soft sponge with a mild soap solutiona>
tail lights
Sensors
/
Dirty Sensors: soft cloth with a solvent-free cleaning product
camera lenses Camera lenses: soft cloth w ith an alcoho l-free clean ing sol-
ution
Snow/ice Hand brush/solvent-free de-icing spray
Wheels Road salt Water
Brake dust Acid-free special cleaning solution
146
...

Vehicle care and cleaning
Component Situation Solution
Displays
Dirty Soft cloth with LCD cleaner
Controls Dirty Soft brush, then a soft cloth with a mild soap solu-
tional
Safety belts Dirty Mild soap solution a>, allow to dry before letting them
retr act
Textiles, Stains adhering to the sur- Vacuum cleaner
Vinyl, face
Alcantara Water-based stains such as Absorbent cloth and mild soap solutional
coffee, tea, blood, etc.
Oil-based stains such as o il, Apply a mi ld soap solutiona>, blot away the disso lved
make-up, etc. oil ori dye, treat afterward with water, if necessary
Special stains such as ball- Special stain remover, blot with absorbent material,
point pen, nail polish, latex treat afterward with mild soap solutional, if necessary
paint, shoe polish, etc.
Natural leather Fresh stains Cotton cloth with a mild soap solutional
Water-based stains such as
Fresh stains: absorbent cloth
coffee, tea, blood, etc. Dried stains: stain remover suitable for leather
Oil-based stains such as oil, Fresh stains: absorbent cloth and stain remover suita-
make-up, etc. ble for leather
dried stains: Oil cleaning spray
Special stains such as ball- Stain remover suitable for leather
point pen, nail polish, latex
paint, shoe polish, etc.
Care Reg
ula rly apply conditioning cream that protects
from light and penetrates into the materia l. Use spe-
cially-co lored conditioning cream, if necessary.
Carbon parts Dirty Clealil the same way as plastic parts
aJ Mild soap so lution: max im um two ta blespoo ns neut ral so ap in 1 quart (l lite r) of w ate r
A WARNING
Th e windshie ld may not be treated with wa­
ter-repelling windshield coating agents. Un­
favorable conditions such as wetness, dark­
ness, or low sun ca n resu lt in increased glare.
Wiper blade chatter is also possible .
(D Note
-Headlights/tail lights
- Never clean headlights or tail lights with a
dry cloth or sponge.
- Do not use any cleaning product that con­
tains alcohol, because they could cause
cracks to form.
-Wheels
148
-
- Never use any paint polish or other abra­
sive materials.
- Damage to the protective layer on the
r ims such as stone chips or scratches must
be repaired immed iately.
-Sensors/camera lenses
- Never use warm or hot water to remove
snow or ice from the camera lens. This
could cause the lens to crack.
- Never use abrasive clean ing materials or
a lcohol to clean the camera lens. This
could cause scratches and cracks.
- Power top
- Remove bird droppings immediately .

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Checking and filling Engine compartment lid
Releasing the engine compartment lid
The engine compartment lid is released from in­
side the vehicle.
~
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Fig. 132 Driver's side: releasing t he engine compartment
lid
Requirement: The ignition must be switched on .
" Make sure the rear spoiler is retracted
¢page 138.
"Pull the button @. The engine compartment lid
opens slight ly.
" Open the engi ne compartment lid¢_&, .
& WARNING
Hot engine coo lant can burn you. To reduce
t he risk of be ing burned, never open the en­
gi ne comp artment lid i f yo u s ee or he ar s team
or cool an t es caping from the engine compart­
ment . Wait unt il no steam or coo lant can be
seen or heard befo re carefully open ing the e n­
gine compartment lid.
CD Note
To preve nt d amage to t he veh icle, only open
t he engine compartment lid when the conver ­
tible top storage bay lid is closed.
@ Tips
An emergency release can be use d if the en­
gi ne compa rtment lid canno t be re leased with
the button @¢
page 155 .
-
Checking and filling
Engine compartment lid emergency release
The emergency release loop is located under the
right trim panel near the front passenger seat.
F ig . 1 33 Front passenger footwell: emerge ncy release loop
"Ma ke su re the rea r spoile r is retracted
¢page 138.
" Pull the loop forward to release the engine
compartment lid. The engine compartment lid
opens slightly.
" Open the engine compartment lid¢ &,
in Re­
leasing the engine compartment lid on
page 155.
CD Note
To prevent damage to the vehicle, o nly open
the engine compartment lid when the conve r­
tib le to p storage bay lid is closed.
Working in the engine compartment
Be especially careful whenever you work in the
engin e compartment!
Whenever you must perform any work in the
eng ine compartm ent, for example checking and
filling the differ ent fluid s, there is a ri sk of in­
jury, burns and accident s. To prevent personal
injury alway s ob serve the following WARN­
INGS . The engine compartment of any vehicle is
a hazardou s area !
c:> &.
,&. WARNING
To help avoid injury, be fore yo u check any­
thing u nder the engine compartment lid:
- Sw itch off the engi ne .
- Remove the ignition key .
- Apply the par king brake.
-
155

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If the yellow engine oil level warning symbol in
the instrument cluster
Ell lights up, you should
check the oil leve l as soon as possible
¢ page 159. Top off the oil at your earliest con­
venience
¢ page 160.
A WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment, always read and heed all WARN­
INGS
¢&. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 155.
(D Note
Dr iving with an insufficient oil level is like ly to
cause severe damage to the engine.
@ Tips
- The oil pressure warning display. is not
an indicator of the oil l evel. Do not rely on
it . Instead, check the oil l evel in your en­
gine at regular interval s, pref erably each
time y ou refu el, and alway s before going
o n a long trip .
- If
you have the imp ression your e ngine co n­
s u mes ex cess ive amo unts of o il, we re com­
mend tha t you cons ult yo ur A udi dealer to
have the cause of your concern properly di ­
agnosed. Keep in mind that the accurate measurement of oil consumpt ion requires
great care and may take some time. Your
A udi dealer has instructions about how to
measure oil consumpt ion accurately.
Checking the engine oil level
Ap plies to vehicles: with ma nual transmission
F ig . 1 36 Ins trument cluste r: Engine oil temperature dis­
p lay
Chec king and filling
Fig. 137 Ma rke rs on oi l d ipst ick
Before you ch eck a nyth ing in the engine compart­
ment,
alwa ys read and h eed all WARNINGS .
Determin ing
oil level
.,. Warm up the engine by driving until the instru­
ment cluste r display shows an oil temperature
of 210 °F (100 °C) to 230 °F (110 °C)
¢ fig. 136 .
.,. Park your vehicle so tha t it is hor izon tally level.
.,. Allow t he warm engine to r un fo r abo ut two mi ­
nutes at idle.
.. Shut the engine off and wait two minutes .
.. Check the oil level on the engine oil dipst ick
¢fig. 137.
Oil level within range (v
.,. Do not add oil.
Oil level within range@
.,. Add 1 quart (1 liter) of o il. Afterwards, the oil
level shou ld be w ith in range
G) .
Depend ing on the way the vehicle is driven and
the operat ing cond itions, oil consumption ca n be
u p to 1 quart per 600 miles(! liter per 1,000
km). Consumption may be higher withi n th e first
3,0 00 miles (5,000 km) .
159