2015 AUDI R8 SPYDER engine coolant

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

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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

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Warm and cold Climate controls
Controls
Warm and cold
The climate controls automatically maintain the selected temperature in the vehicle interior through­
out each season .
Fig . 74 Cl imate co ntrols
We recommend the following sett ing :
.. Rotate the knob
Q fig. 74 @ to the right to
switch on the air conditioning .
.,. Set the temperature to 72
°F (22 °() .
.. Press the !AU TO ! Q fig . 74 button .
Using the previously recommended setting is the
qu ickest way to ach ieve a comfortable climate in
the vehicle . This setting should therefore on ly be
changed when personal comfort levels or certain
circumstances req uire it .
The climate controls are a combination of a uto­
mat ic heating and vent ilation systems and a cool­
ing system which dehum idifies and cools the air
ins ide the veh icle .
The climate controls automatically maintain a
temperature once it has been set. The tempera­ ture of the air from the ve nts, fan speed (air vol ­
ume) and air d istr ibut ion are also a utomat ically
adj usted. The system also takes into account
strong sunshine so that manua l adjustment is
n o t necessary. So in almost all ca ses,
automatic
mode
offers the best conditions for the comfo rt of the occupants at a
ll times of the year
Q page 64 .
Please note :
In cooling mode , relative humidity in the interior
is reduced. This prevents the windows from fog­
ging up .
When relative hum idity a nd temperatures o ut­
s ide are high,
condensation can drip from the air
condit ioning evaporator and form a pool of water
under the vehicle . This is normal and not an indi ­
cation of a leak!
When outs ide temperatures are low, the fan does
not switch to a higher speed unti l the coolant has
reached an adequate temperat ure, with the ex ­
cept ion of the defrost setting .
When accelerating a t wide-open throttle, the ai r
condit ioning compressor is temporari ly switched
off to ma intain full eng ine power .
In order to ensure engine coo ling under ext reme
engine loads, the compressor is switched off if
coolant temperatures climb too high .
IJl>
61

Checking and filling
-Move selector lever of S tronic to "N" (Neu­
tral); put manual transmission in Neutral.
- Always let the engine cool down. Hot com­
ponents will burn skin on contact .
- To reduce the risk of being burned, never
open the engine compartment lid if you see
or hear steam or coolant escaping from the
engine compartment. Wait until no steam
or coolant can be seen or heard before care­
fully opening the engine compartment lid.
- Keep children away from the engine com­
partment .
- Never spill fluids on hot engine compo­
nents. They can cause a fire.
- Never open the coolant reservoir cap when
the engine is still warm . The coolant system
is pressurized and hot coolant could spray
out .
- Protect your face, hands and arm from
steam or hot engine coolant by placing a
thick rag over the cap when you open the coolant reservoir .
- Do not remove the engine cover under any
circumstances . This increases the risk of
burns.
- If work on the fuel system or the electrical
system is necessary :
- Always disconnect the battery.
- Never smoke or work near heaters or open
flames. Fluids in the engine compartment
could start a fire.
- Keep an approved fire extinguisher imme­
diately available .
- To avoid electrical shock and personal injury
while the engine is running or being started,
never touch:
- Ignition cables
- Other components of the high voltage
electronic ignition system.
- If you must perform a check or repair with
the engine running:
- First, fully apply the parking brake, move
selector lever of S tronic to
"N" (Neutral);
put manual transmission in Neutral.
- Always use extreme caution to prevent
clothing, jewelry, or long hair from getting
caught in the radiator fan, V-belts or other
156
moving parts, or from contacting hot
parts. Tie back hair before starting, and
wear no clothing that will hang or droop into the engine.
- Minimize exposure to emission and chemi­
cal hazards
¢ .&..
A WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
- Engine exhaust, some of its constituents,
and certain vehicle components contain or
emit chemicals known to the State of Cali­
fornia to cause cancer and birth defects and reproductive harm. In addition, certain flu­
ids contained in vehicles and certain prod­
ucts of component wear contain or emit
chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and birth defects or other
reproductive harm.
- Battery posts, terminals and related acces­
sories contain lead and lead compounds,
chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and reproductive harms.
Wash hands after handling.
@ Note
When adding fluids, always make sure that
they are poured into the proper container or
filler opening, otherwise serious damage to
vehicle systems will occur.
@ For the sake of the environment
To detect leaks in time , inspect the vehicle
floor pan from underneath regularly. If you
see spots from oil or other vehicle fluids, have
your vehicle inspected by an authorized Audi
dealer .
· Closing the engine compartment lid
.. Make sure that the rear spoiler is retracted
¢page 138 .
.. Pull the engine compartment lid down until the
pressure from the struts is reduced.
.. Press the engine compartment lid closed
¢ _A . ..,

Checking and filling
(D Tips
The coolant expansion tank is located under the convertible top storage bay lid
¢page 163.
Engine oil
Engine oil specificat ions
The engine oil used must conform to exact speci­
fications .
The service interval display in the instrument
cluster of your vehicle will inform you when it is
time for an oil change . We recommend that you
have your oil changed by an authorized Audi Serv­
ice Advisor.
If you have to top off the oil between oil changes,
use the Audi oil quality standard specified in the
table.
Audi oil quality standard
Gasoline
VW 502 00 or
engine vw 504 00
Using the proper engine oil is important for the
functionality and service life of the engine. Your
engine was factory-filled with a high-quality oil
which can usually be used throughout the entire
year.
(D Note
Your Limited New Vehicle Warranty does not
cover damage or malfunctions due to failure
to follow recommended maintenance and use
requirements as set forth in the Audi Owner's
Manual and Warranty
& Maintenance booklet.
- Use only a high quality engine oil that ex-
pressly complies with the Audi oil quality
standard specified for your vehicle's engine .
Using any other oil can cause serious engine
damage.
- Do not mix any lubricants or other additives
into the engine oil. Doing so can cause en­
gine damage.
158
(D Tips
If you need to add oil and there is none availa­
ble that meets the Audi oil quality standard
your engine requires, you may add a total of
no more than 0.5 quart/liter of a high-quality
"synthetic"oil that meets the following speci­
fications.
- ACEA A3 or API SM with a viscosity grade of
SAE OW-30, SAE 5W-30 or SAE 5W-40.
- For more information about engine oil that
has been approved for your vehicle, please
contact either your authorized Audi dealer
or Audi Customer Relations at
1 (800) 822-2834 or visit our web site at
www.audiusa.com or www.audicanada.ca.
Engine oil consumption
The engine in your vehicle depends on on ade­
quate amount of oil to lubricate and cool all of
its moving ports.
In order to provide effective lubrication and cool­
ing of internal engine components, all internal
combustion engines consume a certain amount
of oil. Oil consumption varies from engine to en­
gine and may change significantly over the life of
the engine. Typically, engines with a specified break-in period (see
¢ page 142) consume more
oil during the break-in period than they consume
after oil consumption has stabili zed.
Under normal conditions , the rate of oil con­
sumption depends on the quality and viscosity of
the oil, the RPM (revolutions per minute) at
which the engine is operated, the ambient tem­ perature and road conditions . Further factors are
the amount of oil dilution from water condensa­
tion or fuel residue and the oxidation level of the
oil. As any engine is subject to wear as mileage
builds up, the oil consumption may increase over
time until replacement of worn components may
become necessary.
With all these variables coming into play, no
standard rate of oil consumption can be estab­
lished or specified. There is no alternative to reg­
ular and frequent checking of the oil level, see
Note.