Table of contents
Vehicle liter ature ..... ... .. .. .. .. .
4
About this Owner's Manual . . . . . . 5
Controls and equipment . . . . . . . . . 6
Cockpit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Gene ral illus trat ion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Instruments and warning/
indicator lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
8
Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Warning/ indicato r lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
11
Driver information system . . . . . . 20
I ntroduct ion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 0
Trip computer ... .. . ..... ... .. .. .. ...
2 1
Menu display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Service interval disp lay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Lap t imer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
On -Board Diagnostic system (OBD) . . . . . . 26
Opening and closing . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Powe r locking system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Fr ont lid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Anti- theft alarm system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
P ower windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Garage door opener (Homelink) . . . . . . . . 3 5
Convertible top . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Conver tible top . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Wind deflector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 0
Rear window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Convertible top emergency operation . . . .
41
Clear vision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 6
Interior lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
V1s1on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
W iper and washer system . . . . . . . . . . . . .
51
Dig ital compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Seats and storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Gene ral recommendat ions . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
P owe r seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
H ead restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Cup holder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Ashtray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
2
Cigaret te lighter/soc ket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Warm and cold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Climate controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
On the road . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Ignition loc k/Ignition switch . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Starting and stopp ing the engine . . . . . . . 67
Parking brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Speed warning system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Cruise contro l . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
71
Audi magnet ic r ide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Sporty d rivi ng . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Transm1ss1on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Manua l transm ission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
S tronic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Parking system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Pa rking system advanced
Safety first .. .. ................. . .
Driving Safely ... .............. .. .
General no tes .. .. .. ............. ... .
P roper o cc u pan t seating positions .. .. . .
Driver and passenger side foo twell . ... . .
Pedal area ... .... .. .. .. .. .. .... ... . .
Stowing luggage ... ... .. ..... ... .. . .
Reporting Sa fety Defects .......... .. . .
Active rollover protection system 80
86
86
86
8
7
90
90
91
92
93
Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 5
General notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Why safety belts? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Safety be lts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Safety belt pre tensioners . . . . . . . . . . . . .
100
Airbag system ...... ........... ... 10 2
Important t hings to know . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Front ai rbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Moni to rin g the Advanced Ai rbag System . 112
..... N
r-N "': ..... \!) Ll'I
N Ll'I .....
(!) Adjuster control for outside mirrors .. .. .............. ... .
@ Door handle
@ Power locking switch
© Switches for:
- Front lid release ........... . .
- Fuel filler flap release ... .. .. .
® A ir outlets ............ .... .. .
® Light switch ........... .... .. .
(J) Turn signal and high beam . .. . . .
@ Multifunction steering wheel with :
- Horn
- Driver's airbag ....... .. .. .. .
- Audio, telephone and voice con-
trol system operating buttons
® Instrument cluster
@ Switches for:
- Windshield wiper/washer
- Trip computer ........ .. .. .. .
- Menu display .............. .
- Lap Timer ........... .. .. .. .
- Speed warning system ... .. .. .
@ Steering lock/ignition/starter
switch (in the steering wheel col- umn) .. . .... ............. .. .
@ Adjustable steer ing column .. .. .
@ Cruise control ............... .
(§ Instrument lighting .... .. .. .. .
@ Data Link Connector (DLC) for On
Board Diagnostics (OBD II) ... .. .
49
31
32
153
63
46
47
106
8
51
21
22
25
69
66
66
71
49
26
@ Power window switches
@
@
@
@
@
@ Navigation system
Glove compartment (lockable)
Front passenger's airbag ...... .
Rear window defogger switch ...
Climate controls .. .......... . .
Gear shift lever or selector lever (S
tronic):
- Manual transmission
- S tronic ..... .............. .
@) Switches for:
- Audi magnetic ride
- E lectronic Stabilization Control
- Emergency flasher .......... .
- Retractable rear spoiler ...... .
- Parking system ............ . .
@ Convertible top switch ........ .
@
@ Rear window switch
Parking brake lever
(D Tips
Cockpit
34
60
106
64
61
75
72
134 48
138
80
38
40
68
- Some of the equipment or features shown
in the general illustration may be standard
equipment on your vehicle or my be option
al equipment depending on your mode l.
- A separate brochure is p rovided for your fac
tory-installed audio system and/or the Audi
Navigation System.
7
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>
..... N
r-N "': ..... \!) 1.1'1
N 1.1'1 .....
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
..... N
r-N "': ..... \!) ..,.,
N ..,., .....
This is called the wind deflector position
¢ fig . 38 .
The rear w indow can be extended comp lete ly for
cleaning. This is ca lled the cleaning posit io n.
Extend ing the rear window into the w ind
deflector position
~ Pull and hold the rear window switch ¢ fig. 39.
~ Re lease the switch once the rear window has
reached the wind deflector position.
Extending the rear window into the cleaning
posit ion
~ P ull and hold t he rear window switch ~ fig. 39.
~ Release the switch once the rear window has
reached the wind deflector position.
~ Pull and hold the rear window switch again .
~ Pull and hold the convertible top switch within
one second
¢page 38, fig. 35.
Retracting th e rear w indow
~ Press and ho ld the rear window switch until the
window has been retracted .
Retracting the rear w indow using the one
touch fun ction
~ Press the rear window switch briefly . There is
no need to hold the switch.
The rear w indow can on ly be operated when the
ignition is switched on.
The rear w indow can also be extended or retract
ed when the convertible top is closed .
A WARNING
-Do not use the rear window to secure cargo
or othe r ob jects. This co uld res ult in inj ury .
- Always pay attention and be ca reful when
extend ing o r ret racting the rea r window.
It
cou ld cause injury by pinching.
(D Tips
- Keepi ng a ll of the w indows raised provides
the best wi nd p rotection .
- The v ehicle must be stat ionary to bring the
r ear w indow into the cleaning position. The
rear w indow w ill retract on ce you beg in driv
i ng.
Con vertible top
Convertible top
emergency operation
General information
The convertible top can be closed by hand if
there is a malfunction.
First check if overload protection is active
~ page 39. I f this is the case, the conve rtible top
will operate again after a short delay. Otherwise
the following s teps mus t be comp leted befo re
closing the convertible top :
~ Activate the parking brake.
~ Open the side windows , if necessa ry.
~ Remove the key from the igni tion .
~ Pull or p ress the convertib le top switch
¢
page 38, fig . 35 for approximate ly 10 sec
onds.
Emergency locking is not intended for long -term
u se or long dr ives. The convertib le top wi ll not be
complete ly waterproof afte r using the emergency
l ocking procedure because the seals wi ll not be
seated correctly. Only close the convertible top
manua lly in an emergency . P lease see an autho r
ized Audi R8 dealer to have the cause of the mal
funct ion corrected.
A WARNING
- The ignition must be sw itched off d uring the
entire clos ing pro cedure.
- When pos itioning the convertib le top, avoid
contact w ith the s upports o r other moving
pa rts. Otherwise you cou ld pinch your
hands .
- I f conve rtible top operation fails whe n
open ing or closing the top, do not hold o r
touch the supports or other moving pa rts
when releasing the pressure. The converti
b le top will sink down and co uld p inch your
hands.
- Never d rive when the convert ible top is not
locked correctly. The wind from dr iving
could cause the convertible top to open.
This can result in injuries and damage to the
veh icle. .,,.
41
.... N
l'
N "1: .... I.O
"' N
"' ....
_& WARNING
When working in the engine compartment:
- Turn the engine off .
- Activate the parking brake.
- In vehicles with a manual transmission,
move the shifter lever into idle. In vehicles
with the R tronic transmission, move these
lector lever into the N position.
- Remove the ignition key.
- Let the engine cool down.
- Keep children away from the engine com-
partment .
0 Note
To prevent damage to the vehicle, only open
the convertible top storage bay lid when the
engine compartment lid is closed.
Step 3: Remove the covers
Fig. 44 Convertible top: covers marked
. '
®Ir
! N .., a,
Fig. 45 Convertible top sto rage bay l id : removing the cover
The following steps must be performed on both
sides of the vehicle.
.,. Remove the bolt in the cover on the bottom
side of the storage bay lid using the open end
wrench from the vehicle tool kit@ c::>
fig. 45 .
Convertible top
.,. Move the cover up and down carefully until it
can be pulled downward from the teeth @.
Step 4: Lift the convertible top out
Fig. 46 Convertible top s torage bay: lifting the conver tible
top out
Fig. 47 W inds hield fra me: pressing the co nve rtible top for
ward
.,. Hold the convertible top at the @ point (arrow)
c::>
fig. 46 and raise it carefully c::> &, .
.,. Pull the convertible top all the way out in the
direction indicated @. Position the fins upward
at the same time .
.,. Press the convertible top as far forward toward
the windshield frame as possible c::>
fig. 47.
Have a second person assist when positioning the
convertible top. That person should stand on the
opposite side of the vehicle and perform the
same steps.
_& WARNING
-- When positioning the convertible top, avoid
contact with the supports or other moving
parts. Otherwise you could pinch your
hands.
- When pressing the convertible top down on
to the windshield frame, make sure that you
do not pinch yourself or anyone else.
43
On the road
- The engine cannot be started by pushing or
towing the vehicle .
@I For the sake of the environment
To avoid unnecessary eng ine wear and to re
duce exhaust emissions , do not let your vehi
cle stand and warm up. Be ready to drive
off
immediately after starting your vehicle.
Stopping the engine
On vehicle s wi th S tron ic*, the engine can be
turned
off in the neutral position N and in each
gear (1 -7 and R) .
.. Tu rn the ignition key to posit ion (!) co
page 66,
fig. 77 .
A WARNING
- Never turn off the engine until the vehicle
has come to a complete stop .
- The brake booster and servotronic only work
when the eng ine is running . W ith the igni
t ion turned
off , you have to apply more force
when steering or braking. Since you cannot
steer and stop normally , this can lead to ac
c idents and serious injuries .
(D Note
-If the engine has been under heavy load for
an extended period of time, heat builds up
i n the eng ine compartment after the engine
i s switched
off -there is a r isk of damag ing
the engine . A llow the engine to continue to
run at id le for a short time or drive until it
has coo led down before you turn it off
q page 73.
-If the engine has been under heavy load for
an extended period of time, it can become
extremely hot . You should not park your ve
hicle over easily combustible objects or
areas (e .g . grass or leaves) . There is a risk of
starting a fire .
{!) Tips
After the engine has been switched off, the ra
diator fan can continue to run for up to 10 m i
nutes - even w ith the ignition switched
off . It
68
can also switch on again after some time if
the coo lant temperature rises as the result of
heat bu ildup or if the engine compartment is
heated by the sun's rays and the engine is hot .
Parking brake
Parking brake
When the parking brake is set, it prevents the ve
hicle from rolling away unintentionally.
Fig . 78 C ente r co nsol e: Park ing bra ke set
S etting th e pa rking brak e
.. Pull th e parking brake lever all the way up.
Releasing the p arkin g brake
.. Pull the parking brake lever up slightly and
press the release button at the same time
c::> fig . 78 -arrow- .
.. Keep the release button pressed and lower the
parking brak e
q &_.
If you shou ld drive off with the parking bra ke st ill
set, a warning tone will sound and the fo llow ing
message wi ll appear in the instrument cluster to
r e mind you to release the parking brake:
H and brake i s appli ed
T he park ing brake warn ing comes on only after
you have driven for longer than 3 seconds and
faster than 3 mph (5 km/h) .
The parking brake warning ligh t. (USA)/ .
(CON) illuminates whe n the park ing brake is set
and you sw itch on the ign it ion .
..... N
r-N "': ..... \!) ..,.,
N ..,., .....
A WARNING
-=
Always release t he parkin g brake completely.
A part ially engaged brake will over heat th e
rear brakes, reduce their effect iveness and
cause excess ive wear. This could lead to brake
fai lure and an accident.
([) Note
Only after the ve hicle has come to complete
stop, sho uld you firmly set the parking brake
and move the gearshift lever into a gear.
Parking
Parking
~ Stop t he vehicle using the brake pedal.
~ Set the parking b ra ke firmly.
~ Swi tch off the engine.
~ Move t he se lecto r lever into the P pos ition ( au
tomatic t ransmis sion )
or move the gearshift
lever into 1st . gear
(manual transmission )
c:>.&_ .
~ When on incl ines or declines, turn the steering
whee l so that t he vehicle w ill roll into the curb
if it beg ins to move .
A WARNING
This is how yo u can reduce the risk of in jury
w hen leav ing you r vehicle.
-
- Never park the vehicle whe re it ca n come i n
co ntact wi th dry g rass, spilled fuel or a ny
other flammable mater ials.
- Never allow anyone - especially small chi l
dre n -to remai n in t he vehicle when it is
locked. Locke d doors ma ke i t mo re d iff icult
for rescuers to access the passenger com
partment in the event of an emergency .
Dange r to life!
- Never leave c hildren unsupervised in the ve
hicle. C hildren cou ld re lease the par king
brake or move the gearshift lever out of
gear. The vehicle could sta rt to roll away and
cause an accident .
- No matter what the season is, the tempera
ture in a parked veh icle can reach dangerous
levels.
On th e road
Starting on hills
Applies to vehicles: wit h hill ho ld assist
Hill ho ld assist makes it eas ier to sta rt on hills.
The system is activated when the brake peda l is
depressed
for a few seconds .
After releasing the brake pedal, the b rake power
is he ld for a
brief moment to prevent the vehicle
from rol ling back when starting . At this time, you
can eas ily beg in to move your vehicle.
A WARNING
- I f you did not begin moving imme diate ly af
ter re leasi ng the b ra ke peda l, unde r ce rtain
cir cumstan ces, the vehicle w ould beg in to
roll bac kward. Depress t he brake pe dal im
mediately or engage the hand brake.
- Should t he e ngine sta ll, dep ress the brake
pe dal immed iately or enga ge the hand
b rake.
- I n or der to preven t the vehicle from roll ing
back unintentionally when s tarting in s top
and-go traffic, keep the brake pe dal de
pressed for a few seconds before driving off.
(D Tips
You can find o ut if yo ur vehicle is eq uipped
wi th "Hill hold ass ist" at an autho riz ed Au di
d ealersh ip.
Speed warning system
Speed warning system
The speed warning system helps you to keep your
driving speed below a set speed limit .
The speed warn ing system warns the driver if he
exceeds a previously stored max imum speed. A
warning tone will sound as soon as the veh icle
speed exceeds the set speed by about
3 mph
(3 km/h) . At the same t ime, a warning symbo l
appea rs i n the display .
The speed warn ing system has
two warn ing
thre sholds
tha t function independe ntly of each
othe r and t hat have somewhat d iffe rent pu rpos
es:
69