2015 AUDI R8 SPYDER check engine light

Instruments and warning /indicator lights
Instruments and warning/indicator lights
Instruments
Instrument cluster and controls
The instrument cluster is your central source of information.
Fig. 3 Overview of the inst rument cluster
(D Engine oi l temperature . . . . . . . . . 8
@ Tachome ter with time and date dis-
p lay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9, 9
® Coolant temperature gauge . . . . . 9
@ Fue l gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
® Speedome ter w ith odomete r . . . . 10
@ Voltmeter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
0 Set/Check button . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
@ Driver information display . . . . . . 20
® I RESE T! button for trip odometer . 10
The ill umination for the instr ument cluster lights
up whenever you switch on the ignition with the
vehicle headlights off . The gauges are also i llu­
minated when the lights a re turned on .
Engine oil temperature display
The engine oil temperature disp lay Q page 8,
fig . 3
only operates w it h t he igni tion o n. To pre­
ve nt eng ine dam age, ple ase observe the fo llow­
i n g important poin ts concerning the temper ature
ranges .
8
Cold range
If the need le is at the bottom of the gauge, the
engine oil has not reached operating temperature
yet. Avoid h igh engine speeds, full throttle app li­
cations and heavy eng ine loads .
Normal range
The engine has reac hed operating temperature
when the need le moves into the center of t he
gauge under no rma l dr iving co ndit ions. The nee­
dle may move higher on t he gauge with heavier
engine load at high outside tempe ratures . This is
not a ca use for concern as long as the. indica­
tor lig ht in t he di splay does not flash.
Warning light.
If the symbol . in the d isplay flashes, either th e
engine oil temperature is too high o r the e ngine
o il level is too low
Q page 159.
If the need le is well in the upper a rea of the
gauge, the engine oil temperature is too high.
Stop the vehicle, switch the engine off and al­
low it to cool.
If the wa rning light comes on
again afte r d riv ing a short distance, contact an
aut ho rized Aud i de aler.

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Instruments and warn ing /indicator lights
Tachometer (engine rev counter )
The tachometer indicates the engine RPM (revo­
lutions per minutes).
If engine RPM drops below 1,500, you should
downshift to the next lower gear. The red area at
the end of the scale indicates max imum permis­
sible eng ine RPM after the break-in period . Be­
fore reach ing th is area, move the selector lever to
position "A (Automatic ope rat ion)" or ease your
foot off the accelerator pedal.
(D Note
The tachometer needle should only br iefly be
in the red zone: you could damage your en­
gine! The beginning of the red zone varies de­
pending on the engine.
@) For the sake of the environment
Upshift ing early saves fuel and reduces eng ine
noise.
Digital clock with date display
Your vehicle is equipped with a quartz controlled
digital clock.
Fig. 4 In str um ent cluster w ith the digital clock
To set the hour
.. Pull the knob (hour display flashes) and turn it
to the left or right.
To set the minutes
.. Pull the knob as many times as necessary until
the minute display flashes .
.. Turn the knob to the left or right.
To set the date
.. Pull the knob as many times as necessary until
the day, month or year display flashes.
.. Turn the knob to the left or right.
To hide or display the date
"' Pull the knob as many times as necessary until
the date dis play flashes.
"' Tur n the knob to the left or right.
When the date d isplay stops blinking, this means
the time and date have been successfully stored .
With the ignition off, pushing or pu lling the Set/
Check button
¢ page 8, fig . 3 Q) can turn on the
display field lighting for a few seconds.
Engine coolant temperature gauge
The engine coolant gauge¢ page 8, fig. 3@ only
works when the ignition is on. To prevent damage
to yo ur engi ne, please note the following impor­
tant points .
Engine cold
As long as the needle remains at the bottom of
the ga uge, the engine still has not reached its op­
erating temperature. Avoid high engine speeds,
heavy engine loads and heavy throttle.
Normal temperature
When the engine has reached its operating tem­
perature, the needle will move into the midd le of
the gauge and remain there.
If the engine is
working hard at high outside temperatures, the
need le may t urn further to the right. This is no
cause for concern as long as the. warning light
in the instrument cluster does not illuminate.
When the. warning light starts to flash, this
can mean one of two things: either the coolant
temperature is too high, or the coolant level is
too low¢
page 14.
A WARNING
-
-Always observe the warn ing in¢ page 155,
Working in the engine compartment
before
open ing the engine compartment lid and
checking the engine coolant level. ""
9

Instrum ent s a nd w arn ing /indi cator lights
-Never open the engine compartment lid if
you see or hear steam, or if you see engine coolant dripping from the engine compart­
ment. You could burn yourself. Let the en­
gine cool off first until you can no longer see
or hear steam or coo lant escaping .
CD Note
- Mount ing additional lights or accessories in
front of the a ir inlets reduces the cooling ef­
fect of the rad iator. At h igh outside temper­
atures or high engine load, the engine could
ove rheat.
- The front spo ile r has been designed to prop­
erly distribute the cooling air when the veh i­
cle is mov ing. If the spo iler is damaged, this
could reduce the cooling effect and the en­
gine could then overheat. Ask your author­
ized Audi dealer for assistance.
Fuel gauge
The fuel gauge works only when the ignition is
on. When the needle reaches the red area, the
warning light in the instrument cluster will illu­
minate
c:> page 17 Ill Time to ref uel!
CD Note
Never run the tank completely dry! An irregu­
lar supply of fuel can cause engine m isfiring
and fuel could enter into the exhaust system .
The catalytic converter cou ld then overheat
and be damaged.
10
Speedometer with odometer
The speedometer shows you the vehicle speed,
and the odometer shows you how many miles
(kilometers) you have driven.
Fig. 5 Speedo meter close-up: odometer disp lay
The distance driven is shown in mi les (USA mod­
els) or in kilometers (Canada models).
Lower odomet er
The lower odometer shows the tota l number of
miles ( kilometers) driven .
Upper odometer (trip odometer )
The upper odometer shows the total number of miles (k ilometers) driven since you last reset the
odome ter back to zero. You can use this odome­
te r when you want to keep track of how many
miles (k ilomete rs) you have driven for a sing le
trip or errand. The last digit ind icates 1/10 of a
mile (100 meters). You can set the trip odometer
back to zero by pressing the reset button
c:> fig . 5 .
With the ig nition off, push ing of the Set/Check
button
c:> page 8, fig. 3 field lighting for a few seconds .
Malfunction messag e
If there is a malfunction somewhere in the in­
strument cluster,
dEF wi ll appea r in the tripod­
ometer and wi ll stay on. Contact your authorized
Audi dealer to have the problem corrected.
Immobilizer
When the ignition is sw itched on, the data on the
i gnition key are s canned automatically.
If an unauthor ized key was used,
S AF E is dis­
played continuously in the odometer d isplay

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Instruments and warning/indicator lights
field. The vehicle cannot be operated
c:;, page28.
Voltmeter display
The vo ltmeter shows the voltage in the vehicle
electrical system. If the reading drops below 12
volts w ith the engine running, you should have
the power supply (battery and generator) in ­
spected by an authorized Aud i dealer .
(D Tips
Voltage can drop below 8 volts when you start
the engine.
Warning/indicator lights
Descript ion
The indicator lights in the instrument cluster
blink or turn on. They indicate functions or mal­
functions
c:;, ,&. .
Messages may appear with some indicator lights.
The messages turn
off after a short time. To dis­
play a message aga in, press the Set/Check but ­
ton
c:;, page 8, fig. 3 (J) . If there is more than one
malfunction, the indicator lights will turn on one
after the other for approximately two seconds
each .
Some indicators lights in the display can turn on
in several colors.
A WARNING
- Failure to heed warning lights and other im­
portant vehicle information may result in
serious persona l injury or vehicle damage.
- Whenever stalled or stopped for repa ir,
move the vehicle a safe distance off the
road, stop the engine, and turn on the emer­
gency flasher
c:;, page 48.
-The engine compartment of any motor vehi­
cle is a potentially hazardous area. Before
you check anything in the engine compart­
ment, stop the engine and let it cool down.
Always exercise extreme caution when work ­
ing under the hood
c:> page 155, Working in
the engine compartment
Overview
Some indicator lights turn on briefly to check the
function of that system when you sw itch the igni­
tion on. These systems are marked with a,/ in
the following tables. If one of these indicator
lights does not turn on, there is a ma lfunction in
that system.
Red indicator lights
---------------
US A models: Malfunction in the
brake system
c:;, page 12
Canada models: Malfunction in the
brake system
¢ page 12
USA models : Airbag system,/
c:> page 13
Canada models: Airbag system,/
c:>page 13
Safety belt
c:>page 14
Battery,/
c:>page 14
Engine oi l pressure too low
c:> page 14
Engine coolant leve l too low/
engine coo lant temperature too high
c:>page 14
Gearbox malfunction*
c:>page 78
Yellow indicator lights
Convertible top operation ,/
c:>page 15
Electronic Stabilization Control (ESC)
,I c:;,page 15
Electronic Stabilization Control (ESC)
,I c:;, page 15
USA models: ant i-lock brake system
(ABS) ,/ defect ive
c:;, page 15
Canada models: anti-lock brake sys­
tem (ABS),/ defective
c:;, page 15
Worn brake pads
c:> page 16
Tire pressure too low
c:>page 197
11

Instruments and warning/indicator lights
"t:::1: ~MI ii
12
Tir e p ress ure monito ring system
¢page 196
Electron ic power control../
¢page 16
USA models: Malfunction Indicator
Lamp (MIL) ¢
page 17
Canada models: Malfunction Indica­
tor Lamp (MIL)
¢ page 17
Engine speed limitation *
¢page 17
Check engi ne oil level
¢ page 17
Engine oil senso r malfunction
¢page 17
Batte ry,/
¢ page 14
Low fuel leve l
¢page 17
Windshield washer flu id leve l low
¢page 17
Defective light b ulb
¢page 17
USA models: Defective bra ke light
¢page 17
Canada models: Defective bra ke
light ¢
page 17
Light/rain sensor defective (a utomat ­
ic headlights) * defective
¢ page 18
Aud i magne tic ride
¢ page 18
Rear spoiler .I
¢page 18
USA models: Speed wa rn ing 1
¢ page 69
Canada models: Speed war ning 1
¢page 69
USA models: Speed warning 2
¢page 69
Canada models: Speed warn ing 2
¢page 69
Gear box mal function *
¢page 78
Other indicator light s
Turn signals
¢ page 18
USA models : Cruise control activate d
¢page 19
BRAKE/ ((D) Brake system
This w arning/in dica tor light illumina tes when
the broke fluid level is too low or when there is a
malfunction in the ABS, or when the parking
brake is set .
If the . (U SA models) . (C anada mo de ls)
symbol f las hes i n the display with t he pa rking
b rake re leased, the re is a malfunction in the
brake system. In addit ion to the symbo l, one of
two messages appears in the display:
Stop vehicle and check brake fluid level
Stabilization program and ABS fault! S ee Own­
er's manual
~ Pull off the road an d stop th e veh icle .
~ Obta in p rofess io na l assis tan ce .
USA mod els: if there is a ma lfunction in the ABS
system, the. warn ing/ indicato r light illum i­
na tes a long w ith the . system ma lf u nction
war ning/ind icator light¢ ,&. .
Canada models: if there is a malfunction i n the
ABS system, the
EiJ warn ing/ indica tor ligh t il lu­
minates together with the. brake syst em mal­
f unc tion war ning/ indica to r lig ht ¢,&. .
The light
1111 ( U SA)/ . (Canada) illum inates
whe n the ign ition is turned on. I t goes o ut afte r
the engin e has be en sta rted and th e p arkin g
brake is fully re leased. This ind icates that th e
br ake warn ing lig ht is func tioning properly.
If the brake warning light does not light up
when the engine is cranking or the parking
brake is applied, there may be a malfunction in
1111>

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Instrument s and warning /indicator ligh ts
the electrical system . In thi s case, conta ct your
Audi de ale r.
If the ABS fails, the ABS warning/ind icator light
II (USA mode ls)/ ii] (Canada mode ls) flashes to­
gether with the brake system warning/indicator
light¢ &.
(USA models):
If the wa rning light~ and the
warn ing light
riJ ill umina te together, immed i­
ately contact your authorized Audi dea ler or
qua lified workshop to have all brake pads in­
spected ¢
page 16.
When the light comes on, an audib le warn ing sig­
na l is also given .
Parking brake set
The parking brake warning light./. (Canada
models) illuminates when the park ing brake is
set. In add ition, a warning tone will so und afte r
you have driven for longer than 3 seconds and
faster than
3 mph (5 km/h).
P ar king brake set
The ~ warning/ind icator light illuminates
when the parking brake is set¢,&. .
_& WARNING
-Always observe the w arnings in
¢ page 155, Working in the engine com ­
partment, before opening the engine hood
and checking the b rake fluid .
- Driving with low brake fluid is a safety haz­
ard! Stop the car and get professional assis­
tance.
- USA models: If both, the~ warning
light and the
II warning light come on at
the same time, the rear whee ls cou ld lock
up first under hard braking. lock-up of the
rear wheel brakes can cause loss of veh icle
control and an accident. Have your vehicle
repai red immediately by your author ized
Audi dealer or a qualified wo rkshop. Dr ive
slowly and avoid sudden, ha rd b rake appli­
cat ion .
- Canada models: If both, the brake warning
ligh t. and the ABS warning light
ii] come
on at the same time, the rear whee ls co uld
lock up first under har d braking. lock -up of the rear wheel brakes can cause
loss of vehi­
cle control and an accident. Have your veh i­
cle repaired immed iately by your authorized
Aud i deale r or a qua lified workshop. Drive
slowly and avo id sudden, hard brake appli­
cation.
- If the brake warning/ind icator light does
not go out after a few seconds and the pa rk­
ing brake is released, or lights up wh ile you
are driving, the fl uid level in the brake flu id
reservoir is too low.
If you believe that it is
safe to do so, proceed immedia tely at low
speed to the nearest authorized A udi dealer
or qualified workshop and have the brake
system inspected.
- Always keep in mind that after severa l brake
applications, you will need greater press ure
on the brake pedal to stop your vehicle. Do not rely on strained brakes to respond with
maximum stopp ing power in cr itical s itua­
tions . You must allow for increased braking
distances. The ext ra d istance used up by
fading brakes could lead to an accident.
tli1 !'! r Safety systems
T he . (USA models), . (Canada mode ls) indi­
cator lig ht monitors the safety sys tems e.g. air­
bags, pretensioners and ill uminates for a few
seconds each time you switc h the ignition on .
If the . (USA models)/ . (Canada models) in­
dicator light does not go ou t, o r if i t illumin ates
whi le you a re d riving, or if it starts to blink, then
t h ere is a ma lfunction somewhere in the system .
If the light does not illum inate when yo u switch
on the ignition, this also means there is a ma l­
funct ion.
_& WARNING
-If you have a ma lfunction in the safety sys-
tems, contact you r authorized Audi dea le r i m­
mediately. Otherwise the safety systems may
not wor k properly in an accident.
13

Instruments and warning/indicator lights
4 Safety belt warning light
Applies to vehicles: with safety belt warning light
The warning light is a reminder to fasten safety
belts.
The warning light . comes on for a few seconds
after the ignition is sw itched on as a reminder to
fasten your safety belt.
Additiona l information on safety be lts
¢page 95.
D Battery
This warning/indicator light detects a malfunc­
tion in the generator or in the vehicle's electrical
system.
The. warning/indicator light ill uminates when
you switch on the ignition and must go out after
the engine has started.
• Alternator fault: Battery is not being charg­
ed
If the indicator light turns on and the message
appears, there is a malfunction in the generator
or vehicle electrical system .
D riv e to you r aut horized Aud i dea le r or qualified
wo rkshop immediately. Because the vehicle bat ­
tery is discharging, turn off all unnecessary elec­
trica l equipment suc h as the radio. Seek profes­
siona l assistance if the battery charge level is too
low.
(•) Low battery: battery will be charged while
driving
If the indicator light turns on and the message
appears, there may be limited star ting ability.
If th is message turns off after a little wh ile, the
battery charged enough wh ile driving .
If the message does not turn off, have your au­
thor ized Audi dealer or qualified workshop cor­
rect the malfunct ion.
14
·~Engine oil pressure
The red engine oil pressure warning symbol re­
quires immediate service or repair .
If the . symbol appears in the display and
flashes, the o il pressure is too low. In add ition to
the symbol, the following message also appears i n the d isp lay:
Switch off engine! Oil pressure is too low
.. Pull off the road and stop the vehicle .
.. Shut the engine down.
.. Check the engine oil level¢
page 159 .
.. Contact your authorized Audi dealer for assis-
tance if necessary.
Engine oil level too low
If the engine oil leve l is too low, top off oil to the
proper level
¢page 160.
Engine oil level OK
If the. symbol starts flashing again even
though the engine oi l level checks OK on the dip­
stick,
do not sta rt driving again and do not let
the engine run at idle .
Instead, contact your au­
thorized Audi dealer for assistance .
(D Tips
- The engine oil pressure symbol. is not
an indicator for a low engine oil level. Do
not rely on it. Instead, check the oil level in
your engine at regular intervals, preferably each time you refuel, and always before
going on a long trip.
- The yellow oil level warning indication
II
requires oil refill or workshop service with­
out delay. Do not wait until the red oil
pressure warning symbol. starts to flash
before you respond to the low oil level
warning
Ill. By then, your engine may al­
ready have suffered serious damage.
-L Engine cooling system
A malfunction in the engine cooling system must
be repaired as soon as possible.
When the. symbol in the display flashes, then
either the engine coo lant
temperature is too IJ,,

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Instrument s and warning /indicator ligh ts
high, or the coolant level is too low. In addition
to the symbo l, the following message also ap­
pears in the disp lay:
S w itc h off en gin e and ch ec k coo lant l ev e l
.. Pull off the road and stop the vehicle .
.. Turn off the engine .
.. Check coolant level~
page 162.
.. Add coolant if ne cessary ~ page 163 .
.. Continue d riving only after the engine coolant
warning/indicator light goes out .
.. Contact your authorized Audi dea ler for ass is-
tance if necessary.
I f the engine coolant level is correct, then the ra­
diator fan may be the cause of the malfunction.
If the generator wa rning/ind icator light shou ld
a lso i lluminate
~ page 14, then the fan belt may
be damaged .
A WARNING
-If your vehicle should break down for me­
chanical or other reasons, park at a safe dis ­
tance from moving traffic, turn off the en­
gine and turn on the hazard warning lights
~ page 48, Emergency flasher.
- Never open the engine compartment lid if
you see or hear steam or coo lant escaping
from the engine compartment - you risk be­
ing scalded . Wa it until you can no longer
see or hear steam or coolant escaping .
- The engine compartment of any veh icle is a
dange rous area. Before you perform any
wor k in the engine compa rtment, t urn off
the engine and allow it to coo l. Follow the
warning stic kers
~ page 155, Working in
the engine compartment .
(D Note
Do not co nti nu e d riving if the. symbo l ill u­
m inates. There is a mal function in the engine
cooling system -you could damage your en ­
gine .
dS Convertible top operation
The ind icator light tu rns on II!
- When the convertib le top opens or closes or -
If the convert ible top did not open or close
comp letely .
T he ind icator light blinks if the convertib le top
cannot open or close
~ page 39.
;;./ !'r, Electronic Stabilization Control (ESC)
Ifthc DJ indicator lamp blinks while driving, the
ESC or ASR (Anti-Slip Regulation) is actively regu­
lating.
If the
DJ indicator lamp illum inates, the system
has switched the ESC off. In this case, you can
switch the ignition off and then on to switch the
ESC on aga in. The system is functioning com ­
ple tely when the indicator lamp switches off.
If the
II indicator lamp illuminates, the ESC was
switched off with the
[ru button .
Stabilizati on progr am and ABS fault! S ee ow n­
e r's manual
If the Bl ind icator lamp and the [i] ABS indica­
tor lamp illum inate and the d river message ap­
pears, the ABS or e lectronic differentia l lock is
malfunctioning . This also interrupts the ESC. The
brakes still function with their normal power, but
ABS is not active .
Drive to your authorized A udi dealer immed iate ly
to have the mal func tion corrected .
Fo r more information about the ESC
~ page 134.
ABS/ (0 ) Anti-lock brake system
This warning/indicator light monitors the ABS
and the electronic differential lock (EDL).
The warning/indicator light Ill (USA models)/
¢ ~) o n ds when the ignition is sw itched on . The light
will go out after an automa tic check sequence is
completed.
There is a malfunction in the ABS when:
- The warning/indicator light does not illum inate
when you sw itch the ignition on .
- The warning/indicator light does not go out af -
ter a few seconds . ..,
15