2015 AUDI R8 SPYDER towing

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

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Kneeairbags .. ........... .. .. .. .. ... 116
Side airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Ch ild Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Important things to know . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
C hild safety seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Instal ling a chi ld safety seat . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Additional Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Vehicle operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Intelligent technology . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Notice about data recorded by vehicle
control modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Electronic Stabilization Control (ESC) . . . . 134
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Rear spoiler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Power steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
D ry s ump lubr ication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Driving with your quattro . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Energy management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Driving and environment . . . . . . . . 142
Break-in period . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Avoid damaging the vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Driving through water on roads . . . . . . . . 142
Catalytic converter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Shutting down vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Operation and maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Trailer towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Vehicle care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Vehicle c are and cleaning . . . . . . . . 145
General information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Car washes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Cleaning and care information . . . . . . . . . 146
Fuel supply and filling your fuel
tank ... .. .. .... ............. .. .. .. .
151
Gasoline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Fu el tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Checking and filling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Engine compartment lid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Eng ine cooling system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Brake fl uid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Table of contents
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Windshield washer container . . . . . . . . . . 168
Tires and wheel s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Tire pressure monitoring system . . . . . . . 196
Do-it-yourself service . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
What do I do now? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Trunk escape handle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Vehicle tool kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Tire repair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
What should I be aware of when changing
a tire? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Jump-starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Emergency towing with commercial tow
truck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Fu ses and bulb s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
El ectr ical fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Bulbs......... .. .. ........... .. .. .. 211
Technical data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Technical Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Vehicle identification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 12
Weights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Dimensions......................... 213
Capacities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Gasoline engines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Consumer Information . . . . . . . . . . 215
Warranty coverages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21S
Operating your vehicle outside the U.S.A .
o r Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21S
Audi Servi ce Repair Manuals and
Literature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Maintenance. .. .. ... .......... .. .. .. 215
Additional accessor ies, modifications and
parts replacement 217
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
3

Convertible top
Convertible top
Convertible top
General information
The fabr ic conv ert ible top opens and closes auto­
matica lly. W hen it is open, it is sto red in t he con­
ver tible top storage bay. The convert ible top may
be opened or closed at speeds up to 31 mph
(SO km/h).
T he conve rtible top is wind- and wate rproof un­
de r n orma l conditions. Some mois ture may co l­
lec t in the vehicle interior, but on ly unde r ex ­
tremely adverse weathe r co ndit ions such as tor­
rentia l rain . That is normal and no cause for con­
cern.
F ollow t he clean ing and maintenance instr uc­
tions ~
page 145 to ensu re the convertib le to p
remains wind- an d waterproof. A lso note the fol ­
lowing points:
- Only stow the convertib le top when i t is clean
and dry. Gra ins of sand or coa rse dirt particles
can cause abrasions on the convertible top
when stowed that can lead to damage to the
fabric over time. Stowing the convertible top
whe n it is damp can cause marks or pe rmanent
mildew spots to form .
- Do not leave the convertible top open for sever­
al weeks or the c reases in it may become discol ­
ored . Th i s is especially tr ue if the top was stow­
ed when damp .
- Remove ice and snow befo re ope ning the con­
vertib le top . Do not use any sharp edged ob­
jects to remove ice and snow or t he conve rtible
t op co ul d be scra tch ed o r dam aged . T he rear
window may be cleare d wi th a stand ard i ce
scra per.
- T he fab ric in the co nver tib le top lose s elasticity
in su b-zero tem pera tures . We recommend not
opening or closi ng the convertib le top when the
temperature is below 32 °F (0 QC). T he conver­
tible top will not open when the temperature is
S °F (-15 QC) or below.
38
Opening /closing the convertible top
Fi g. 35 Cente r console : co nve rtible top sw itc h
Req uirement: the front lid must be closed and
t h e ign it io n m ust be switched on.
Opening the convertible top
.,. Pull and ho ld the co nvertib le top switch until
the top is stowed in the bay and the cover on
the bay has closed complete ly.
Opening the convertible top using the one­
touch function
.,. Pull the sw itch br iefly to open the convertib le
top comp lete ly. It is not necessary to ho ld the
sw itch . The one-touch funct ion is only avai lab le
at speeds between 4 and 31 mph (6 and
SO km/h) .
Closing the convertible top
.,. Press and hold the sw itch until the convertib le
top is closed a nd the latch is locked.
The ind icator lighr
fi in the instrument cl uster
goes out when the top is comp lete ly open or
closed .
The side windows a utomatica lly lower slightly
during the opening/closing process.
A WARNING
- Never drive when the convert ible top is not
locked correctly. The w ind generated by driv­
ing could cause it to open, which could in­
jure v ehicle occupants or damage t he ve hi-
c~ . ~

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 .

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(D Note
If S tronic has switched to emergency opera­
tion mode, you should have the malfunction corrected as soon as possible.
Parking lock emergency release
App lies to vehicles: with S tro nic
The parking lock must be released using the
emergency release before towing the vehicle.
F ig. 87 Engine compart men t: emergency release
Fig. 88 Engine compa rtment: parking lock emergency re·
lease
The emergency release is located in the engine
compartment.
Releasing the parking lock using the
emergency release
.,. Turn the engine off .
.,. Set the parking brake to prevent the vehicle
from rolling unintentionally .
.,. Remove the removable plastic key from the lug­
gage compartment and extend the key to its
full length .
.,. Remove the cover over the emergency release
mechan ism .
Tran smission
.,. Insert the plastic key into the emergency re­
lease mechanism and turn it all the way to the
r ight ~
fig. 88.
Resetting the parking lock
.,. Turn the key all the way to the left.
.,. Install the cover.
The
[il indicator light appears in the instrument
cluster if the parking lock was released from
P
using the emergency release. The message Risk
of rolling! P not possible. Please set the parking
brake
also appears.
,&_ WARNING
- Only activate the emergency release whi le
on a level surface or a slight s lope.
- If you release the parking lock using the
emergency release, secure your vehicle with
the parking brake. The vehicle can roll away if it is not secured and cause a crash.
(D Tips
The transmission cannot detect if the parking
l ock was released with the emergency re lease.
An error message appears in the instrument
cluster as soon as the transmiss ion requires
the
P position but th is position is not engag­
ed.
79

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mats wi ll prevent them from sliding into posi ­
tions that cou ld interfere wit h the peda ls or im­
pa ir safe operation of your veh icle in other ways .
A WARNING
Pedals that cannot move freely can result in a
loss of vehicle control and increase the r isk of
ser ious personal injury.
- Always make sure that floor mats are prop­
erly secured .
- Never place or insta ll floor mats or other
floor coverings in the veh icle that cannot be
properly secured in place to prevent them
from slipping and interfering w ith the ped­
als or the ability to control the veh icle.
- Never place or install floor mats or other
floor coverings on top of already installed
floo r mats. Add itiona l floo r mats and other
cove rings w ill reduce the si ze of the pedal
area and interfere w ith the ped als.
- Always properly reinstall and se cu re f loor
m ats that have been taken ou t for clean ing .
- Always make sure that objects cannot fall
into the dr iver footwell while the vehicle is
moving. Objects can become tr apped under
the brake pedal and accelerator peda l caus ­
ing a loss of vehicle contro l.
Stowing luggage
Loading the luggage compartment
All luggage and other objects must be properly
stowed and secured in the luggage compart­
ment .
Loose items in the luggage compartment can
shift suddenly, changing vehicle handling charac­
ter istics. Loose items can also increase the risk of
serious personal injury in a sudden veh icle ma ­
neuver or in a coll is ion.
In a collis ion, the laws of p hys ics mean that even
smal ler items that are loose in the vehicle will
become heavy miss iles that can cause ser ious in ­
jury . Items in the vehicle possess energy which
va ry w ith vehicle speed and the we ight of the
item. Vehicle speed is the mos t significant fa ctor.
Dr iving Sa fel y
For example, in a frontal collision at a speed o f
30 mp h (48 km/h) , the forces acting o n a 10-lb
(4 .5 kg) object are about 20 t imes the norma l
weight of the item. This means that the weight of the item would sudden ly be about
200 lbs . (90 kg) . You can imagine the injuries
that a 200 lbs. (90 kg) item flyi ng freely throug h
the passeng er compartment co uld cause in a col­
li sion like this.
A WARNING
Imp roperly store d luggage or other items c an
fly through the vehicle causing serio us pe r­
sonal injury in the event of hard braking or an
accident . To help reduce the risk of ser ious
personal injury:
- Always put o bjects, fo r example, luggage o r
other heavy items in the luggage compart­
ment.
A WARNING
Heavy loads w ill influence the way yo ur vehi­
cle hand les . To help reduce the r isk of a loss
of contro l leading to serious pe rsonal injury:
- Always keep in mind when transporting
heavy objects , that a change in the center of
grav ity can also cause changes in vehicle
handling .
- Never exceed the Gross Axle We ight Rating
or the G ross Vehicle We ight Rating specified
on the safety compliance stic ker on the left
door jamb. Exceeding pe rm issib le weight
s ta nd ards c an cause the veh icle to slide and
h a ndle differently.
- Please observe informa tion on safe dr iving
~page 86.
A WARNING
Always make sure that the doo rs, all windows
and the front lid a re secure ly close d and
l ocke d to reduce the r isk of injury when the
vehicle is not be ing used .
- Afte r closing the front lid, always make sure
that it is proper ly closed and locked .
- Never leave your vehicle una ttended espe­
cially with the f ront lid left open . A child
-
91

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This can cause a temporary reduction in braking
force compared to dry brakes. You can compen­
sate for this by pressing the brake pedal harder.
Cor ro sion
There may be a tendency for dirt to bui ld up on
the brake pads and corrosion to fo rm on the discs
if the car is not driven regularly or only for short
trips with little use of the brakes.
If the b rakes are not used frequently, or if corro­
sion has formed on the discs, it is advisab le to
clean off the pads and discs by braking firmly a
few times from a moderately high speed
c:> &. .
Faults in the brake sy stem
If you should notice a sudden increase in brake
pedal travel, then one of the two brake circuits
may have fai led
c:> .&, .
Low brak e flu id le vel
Malfunct ions can occur in the brake system if the
brake fluid level is too low. The brake flu id leve l is
monitored e lectronically.
Br ake power assis t un it
T he brake power assist unit increases the pres­
sure that you generate with the brake pedal.
It
works only when the eng ine is running .
Brak e lining wear sta tu s
Brake lining wear may be checked by visual in­
spection of the condition of the brake pads
through the openings in the wheel. If necessary,
the wheel may be removed for this inspection
c:> page 203 .
.8, WARNING
-New brake pads don't have the best stop­
ping power and must be "broken-in" during
the init ial 250 mi les ( 400 km) of normal city
driving. The break -in period can be consider­
ably longer for vehicles with ceramic brake
rotors *. You can compensate for this by
pressing the brake pedal more firmly. This
also applies later when new pads are instal­
led .
- You should perform brak ing maneuvers for
the purpose of clean ing the brake system
Int elli ge nt te chn olo gy
only if road conditions permit. Other road
users must not be put at r isk -you may
cause an accident!
- Before descending a steep grade, reduce
speed and sh ift transmission into a lower
gear or lower dr iving range. Do not ride the
brakes or hold the pedal down too long or
too often. This could cause the bra kes to get
hot and dimin ish braking effic iency .
- Do not "ride the brakes" by rest ing your foot
on the pedal when you do not intend to
brake. This may cause the brakes to over­
heat, premat ure wear and increased stop­
ping distance.
- Under certain cl imatic and operat ing condi ­
tions such as passing thro ugh water, dr iv ing
in heavy rain or after washing the vehicle,
the effectiveness of the brakes can be re­
duced . In winter, ice can accumulate on the
brake pads, lin ings, discs and drums. Care­
fully apply brakes for a test. Brakes will dry and ice coatings will be cleaned off after a
few careful brake applications.
- Driving for an extended period of t ime on
salt-covered roads without using your brakes can also affect braking efficiency .
Clean off accum ulated salt coating from
b rake discs and pads with a few cautious
brake applications.
- If you damage the front spoiler, or if you in­
stall a different spoiler, be su re the air flow
to the front brakes is not obstructed . O ther­
wise the brake system could overheat reduc­
ing the effectiveness of the entire brake sys­
tem .
- Fai lure of one brake circuit will impai r the
braking capability resu lting in an increased
stopping distance . Avoid driving the vehicle
and have it towed to the nearest Aud i dea ler
or qualif ied workshop.
- Never let the vehicle roll to a stop with the
engine shut off.
- If the brake booster is not working, for ex­
ample when towing your veh icle, or because
the brake booster has somehow been dam­
aged, the brake pedal must be pressed con ­
siderably harder to make up for the lack of booster assistance.
1 37

Driving and en vironment
CJ) Note
- Have your vehicle maintained properly and
in accordance w ith the service recommenda­
tions in your Warranty
& Maintenance book­
l et . Lack of proper ma intenance as well as
i mproper use of the vehicle will impair the
funct ion of the emission control system and
could lead to damage .
- Do not alter or remove any component of the Emi ssion Cont ro l System unless ap­
proved by the manufacturer.
- Do not a lter or remove any dev ice, such as
heat shie lds, switches, ig nition w ires,
valves, wh ich are des igned to prote ct you r
vehicle's Emiss ion Control Sys tem and other
i mportant veh icle components.
(D Tips
The consumpt ion estimates as published by
t he ENV IRONM ENTA L PROTECTION AG ENCY
(EPA) and Transport Canada may not co rre­
spond to your act ual consumption on the
road , which wi ll vary depen ding upon vehicle
load and speed, road and weather cond itions,
trip length, etc.
Trailer towing
General information
Your Audi RB Spyder is not designed to tow a
trailer.
Towing a tra iler with your Audi R8 Spyder is not
recommended and ca n cause damage to the car .
D amaged caused by tow ing a tra ile r i s not cov­
e red by your Aud i War ranty .
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