coolant AUDI R8 SPYDER 2011 Owners Manual

10 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 rumen t cluster
(D Engine oil temperature ...... .
@ Tachometer with time and date
display ................... .
® Warning/indicator lights .. .. .
© Coolant temperature gauge .. .
® Fu el gauge .............. .. .
@ Speedometer with odometer ..
(i) Voltmeter .............. .. .
@ Set/Check button , ... .. .. .. .
® Driver information display . .. .
@ I RESET ! button for trip odome-
ter ....... ............. .. .
10
11, 11 14
11
12
12
13
11, 31 20
12
The illumination for the instrument cluster
lights up whenever you switch on the ignition
with the
vehicle headlights off. The gauges
are also illuminated when the lights are
turned on.
Engine oil temperature display
The engine oil temperature display Q page 10,
fig. 3
only operates with the ignition on. To
prevent engine damage, please observe the
following important points concerning the
temperature ranges.
Cold range
If the needle is at the bottom of the gauge,
the engine oil has not reached operating tem­ perature yet. Avoid high engine speeds, full
throttle applications and heavy engine loads .
Normal range
The engine has reached operating tempera­
ture when the needle moves into the center of
the gauge under normal driving conditions .
The needle may move higher on the gauge
with heavier engine load at high outside tem­ peratures. This is not a cause for concern as
long as the . indicator light in the display
does not flash.
Warning light.
If the symbol . in the display flashes, ei­
ther the engine oil temperature is too high or
the engine oil level is too low
Qpage 180.
If
the needle is well in the upper area of the
gauge, the engine oil temperature is too high .
Stop the vehicle, switch the engine off and
allow it to cool.
If the warning light comes on
again after driving a short distance, contact
an authorized Audi dealer.

Instrument s and warning /indicator lights 11
Tachometer (engine rev counter)
The tachometer indicates the engine RPM
(revolutions per minutes) .
You should shift to the next lowest gear when
the speed is below 1500 RPM. The beg inning
of the red zone in the tachometer indicates
the maximum permiss ible engine speed for
all gears once the eng ine has been broken in
a nd when i t is wa rm. You sho uld shift to the
n ex t hi gher gea r, switc h the R tron ic sport
mode
off or remove your foot from the accel ­
erator pedal befo re reaching this a rea in the
ga uge.
(D Note
The needle in the tachometer~ page 10,
fig.
3 @ may only be in the red area of the
gauge fo r a short time or the engine could
be damaged. The location whe re the red
zone beg ins va ries depending on the en­
g ine.
Digital clock with date display
Your vehicle is equipped with a quartz con­
trolled digital clock.
F ig. 4 I n stru ment cl uste r w ith t he d ig ita l cl ock
D ate and time are set using the knob~ fig. 4.
To set the hour
• Pull the knob (hour d isplay flashes) and turn
it to the left o r rig ht.
To set the minutes
• Pull the knob as many times as necessary
u nti l the min ute display flashes .
• Turn the knob to the left or right.
To set the date
• Pull the knob a s many times as necess ary
until the day, month o r year disp lay flashes.
• Tur n the knob to the left or rig ht.
To hide or display the date
• Pull the knob as many t imes as necess ary
until the date di sp lay fla shes.
• Turn the knob to the le ft or rig ht.
Wh en th e date d isp lay s tops blin king, this
means the time and da te have been s uccess ­
f ully s to red.
Wi th the ig nition
off, push ing or pu lling the
Set/Che ck button
~ pag e 10, fig. 3@ can
tu rn o n the display field light ing for a few sec­
on ds.
Engine coolant temperature gauge
The engine coolan t ga uge ~ page 10, fig. 3@
onl y works when t he ig nition is on. To prevent
damage to your engine, please note the fol­
lowing important points.
Engine cold
As long as the need le remains a t the left end
of the gauge, the engi ne still has not reac hed
its operating tem perature. Avoid high eng ine
speeds, heavy engine loads and heavy throt­
tle.
Normal temperature
When the engine has re ached it s operat ing
temperature, the need le w ill move into the
midd le of the gauge and rema in the re .
If th e
engine is working hard at high outside tem­
peratures, the needle may turn further to the
right. This is no cause for concer n as long as
the . warn ing light i n the instrument clus ter
does not illuminate .
Warning light.
When the warning light .starts to flash, this
can mean one of two t hings : either the cool­
ant
temperature i s too h igh, or the coolant
l e vel is too low~ page 32 . IIJ,,

12 Instruments and warning /indicator lights
If the needle is well on the right side of the
gauge, the coolant temperature is too high .
Stop the vehicle, switch the engine off and
allow it to cool.
If the warning light comes on
again after driving a short distance, contact
an author ized Audi dealer .
A WARNING
-Always observe the warni ng in
¢ page 175, Working in the engine
compartment before opening the engine
compartment lid an d checking the en­
gine coo lant level.
- Never open the engine compartment lid
if yo u see or hear steam, or if you see e n­
gine coolant dripping from the engine
compartment . You could burn yourse lf.
Let the engine coo l off first so that you
cannot hear or see any steam or engine
coolant.
(D Note
- Mounting additional lights or accessories
in front of the air inlets red uces the cool­
i ng effect of the radiator. At h igh outside
temperatures or high engine load, the
engine could overheat .
- The front spo iler has been designed to
properly distribute the cooling air when
the veh icle is moving. If the spoiler is
damaged, th is could reduce the cooling
effect and the engine could then over­
heat. Ask you r autho rized Aud i dealer for
ass istan ce.
Fuel gauge
The fuel gauge works only when the ignition is
on. When the needle reaches the red area, the
warn ing light in the instrument cluster will il­
lum inate
c> page 33 (il This means you
have approximately 2.6 gallons (10 liters) of
fuel left in the tank .
Time to refuel!
The total tank capacity of your vehicle is listed
in
Technical data ¢ page 228.
(D Note
Never run the tank completely dry! An ir­
regular supply of fuel can cause engine
misfiring and fuel could enter into the ex ­
haust system . The catalytic converter
could then overheat and be damaged.
· Speedometer with odometer
The speedome ter shows you the vehicle
speed, and the odometer shows you how
many miles (kilometers) you have driven .
Fig. S Speedometer close -up: odome ter d isplay
The distance driven is shown in m iles (USA
models) or in kilometers (Canada mode ls).
Lower odometer
The lower odometer shows the total number
of miles (kilometers) dr iven .
Upper odometer (trip odometer)
The upper odometer shows the total number
of miles (kilometers) dr iven since you last re­
set the odometer back to zero . You can use
th is odometer when you want to keep track of
how many m iles (kilometers) yo u have driven
for a single trip or errand. The last dig it ind i­
cates 1/10 of a mile (100 meters) . Yo u can se t
the trip odometer back to zero by pressing the
I RESE T! button ¢ fig . 5 .
With the ign ition off, pushing of the Set/
Check button ¢ page 10, fig. 3 @ can turn on
the display field lighting for a few seconds.
Malfunction message
If there is a malfunct ion somewhere in the in-
strument cluster,
dEF will appea r in the trip .,.

Instrument s and warnin g/indi cator ligh ts 17
CRUISE /vJ' Cru ise control
The warning/indicator light (ij ;jl)~1~ (USA mod­
e ls)/ . (Canasda models) illum inates when
the cruise cont rol is activated.
I I ! .!r Safety systems
This warning/indicator light monitors the air­
bag and the pretensioner systems.
The warning light I (USA models) ;II (Cana­
da models) illuminates for a few seco nds eac h
time you switch on the ignition.
If the
I (USA models)/ . (Canada models)
warn ing light does not go out, or if it illumi­
nates wh ile you are driv ing, or if it starts to
b link, then there is a ma lf u nction somewhere
in the system. If the light does not ill uminate
when you switch on the ignition, this also
means there is a ma lfunction.
A WARNING
If you have a malfunction in the airbag sys­
tem, contact your authorized Audi dealer
immediately. Otherw ise the airbag or the
belt pretensioner may not work proper ly in
an acc ident.
D Generator
This warning/indicator light detects a mal­
function in the generator or in the vehicle's
electrical system.
The . warning/indicator lig ht illuminates
when you switc h on t he ignit ion and must go
out after the engine has started.
If the . warning/indicator light i lluminates
while you are driving, you should contact your author ized Audi dealer. Since the vehicle bat­
tery is discharging, you should switch off any
u nnecessary electrical consumers (for exam­
p le, the air conditioner).
Q) Note
If the . warn ing/ indicator light (mal­
function in the engine cooling system) in
the instrument cluste r shou ld i llum inate ¢
page 32, stop the veh
icle and t urn off
the engine. The coolant pump is not work­ i ng -this can cause engine damage!
4 Safety belt warning light
The warning light is a reminder to fasten
safety belts.
T he warning light . comes on fo r a few sec ­
onds after the ignition is switched on as a re ­
minder to fasten yo ur safety be lt. Additional­
l y, an acoustic warning (gong) will a lso sound.
Addi tional in format ion on safety belts
¢ page 109 .
BRAKE/((D) Brake system
This warning/indicator light flashes when the
broke fluid level is too low or when there is a
malfunction in the ABS .
If the wa rning/ind icator light flas hes 111111111;
• (with the parking brake re leased), stop the
vehicle and obtain qualified help¢&, .
If the ABS fails, the ABS wa rn ing/ indicator
l igh t
r.m!J,11] illumina tes along w ith the
brake sys tem warning/ ind icator light- /
. ¢&, .
(USA mode ls): If the war ning light - and
the warn ing light
Lil ill umin ate together, im­
med iate ly contact yo ur a uthorized Aud i dea le r
or qualified workshop to have all brake pads inspected ¢
page 33.
When the light comes on, an aud ible warning
s ignal is also g iven.
Parking brake set
The _ /. warning/ind icator light illumi­
nates when the parking brake is set¢&, . The
fo llow ing message appears in the d isplay:
Handbrake i s app lie d . If yo u inadvertent ly
drive off with the parking brake applied, a
buzzer (warning tone) sounds.

30 Driver in formation system
To sto re ma ximum sp ee d
.. Turn off the ignit ion.
.. Briefly press the button in the instrument
cluster¢ page 29, fig. 26. The odometer
and the digital clock are now illuminated .
.. Press the button for at least 2 seconds. The
currently stored maximum speed appears in
the d isplay
or the crossed out symbol for
warning threshold 2, if no max imum speed
was set previous ly.
.. Press the fu nction selector sw itch in the
wiper lever@~ fig. 2 7 up or down to
change the set value. Val ues run up or down
in steps o f 6 mph (10 km/h) .
To delete maximum speed
.. Turn off the ignit ion.
.. Briefly press the button in the instrument
cluster~ page 29, fig. 26. The odometer
and the digi tal clock are now illuminated .
.. Press the button for at least 2 seconds. The
currently stored maximum speed appears in
the disp lay.
.. Press the
l ~R_E_S-E T~I button in the w iper lever
@ ¢fig. 2 7 until the crossed out speed
warning symbol for warning threshold 2 ap­
pears in the display.
A few seconds after the adjustment is com­
pleted, the illumination for the odometer and
the dig ita l clock will go out.
{D) Tips
This war ning threshold can also be con­
trolled through the trip computer
¢ page 25, Navigating the menu.
Warnings and symbols
Red symbols
A red symbol means DANGER.
.. Pull of the road and stop the veh icle.
.. Turn off the engine .
.. Check the ma lf u nct io ni ng system. Contact
your a uthorized Aud i dea ler o r a q ua lified
workshop for assistance.
-
USA mod els :
Ma lfunction in the brake sys-
tern
~page32
•
Canada mod els :
BRAKE
Malfunction in the brake sys-
tern
~page32
•
Engine coolant leve l too low/
COOL ANT engine coolant temperature
too high
~page32
Engine oil pressure too low
OIL PRES-¢page 33
SURE
When a red symbol appears, a warning tone
will sound three times in succession. The sym ­
bol cont inues to flash unt il the malfunction
has been repaired. If there is more than one
malfunction, the symbols appear one after
the other for about two seconds.
@ Tips
- The message for a malfunction can be
shown by pressing on the left knob.
- Dur ing route guidance on vehicles with a
navigation system, the warn ing symbol
is shown in the field above.
Yellow symbols
A yellow symbol means WARNING.
II
L ow fuel leve l
~page33
-
•
Check engine oil level
~page33
•
Engine oil sensor malfunction
¢page33
IJ
Worn brake pads
¢page33
•
USA models :
Speed warning 1
~page34
'

32 Driver in formation system
BRAKE/((D) Brake system malfunction
The indicator light flashes if the brake fluid
level is too low, if there is a malfunction in the ABS system or when the parking brake is
engaged.
If the alllill. symbol flashes in the dis ­
play with the parking brake released, there is
a malfunction in the brake system. In addit io n
to the symbo l, one of two messages appears
i n t he displ ay:
Stop veh icle and check brak e fluid
ABS f ault! See owner 's manual
• Pull off the road and stop the vehicle.
• Obtain professiona l assistance .
USA models: if the re is a malfunction in the
A BS system,
the m warning/indicator light
i l luminates a long w ith the - system
mal function warn ing/ indicator light ¢&. .
Canada models: if there is a ma lf u nction in
the ABS system, the
li] warning/indicator
light ill uminates toget her with th e . brake
system ma lf u nction warning/indicator light
¢ &_ .
Parking brak e set
The parking brake warni ng light _ /_
(Canada models) ill uminates when the park­
ing brake is set . In additio n, a warning tone
will sound after you have dr iven for longer
than 3 seconds and faster than 3 mph (5 km/
h).
A WARNING
- Always observe the wa rnings i n
¢ page 175, Working in the engine
compartm ent,
before opening the en­
gine compa rtme nt lid and che ck ing the
brake f luid.
- Driv ing with low b rake fluid is a safety
h aza rd! S top the c ar and get profession al
assist ance.
- If the bra ke system war ning/ indicato r
ligh t illumina tes toge ther wi th the ABS
wa rning/in dicator ligh t, then the AB S system is malfunctioning
. The rear
wheels could quick ly loc k up when you
apply the brakes. This could lead to loss
of co ntrol and yo ur vehicle could slide!
Drive ca refully to the nea rest au thorized
Aud i dea le r and hav e the malfunction
corrected.
- L Engine cooling system malfunction
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 high, or the coolant
level is too low. In ad­
dition to the symbo l, the following message
also appears in the d isp lay:
Switch off engine and check coolant level
• Pull off the road and stop the veh icle.
• Turnoff the engine.
• Check coolant level ¢
page 182 .
• Add coo lant if necessary ¢ page 183.
• Cont inue dr iv ing o nly afte r the engine cool­
ant wa rning/ind icator light goes out .
• Con ta ct your au thori zed Aud i dealer for as-
sis tan ce if ne cess ary.
If the engine coolant level is correct, t hen the
r adiator fa n may be the ca use of the malfunc­
t io n.
If the generator warn ing/ indicato r light
shou ld also illum inate
¢ page 17, then the
fan belt may be damaged.
A WARNING
- If you r vehicle should bre ak down for
me chanical or o ther reasons, par k at a
safe distance from mov ing traffic, tu rn
off the eng ine and tu rn on the hazard
warn ing lights ¢
page 57, Emergency
flasher.
- Never open the eng ine compartment lid
if you see or hear steam or coolant es­
caping from t he engine compartment -
-
you risk being scalded. Wait until you can .,,.

no longer see or hear steam or coolant
escaping.
- The engine compartment of any vehicle
is a dangerous area. Before you perform
any work in the engine compartment,
turn off the engine and allow it to cool. Follow the warning stickers
c:> page 175,
Working in the engine compartment.
([) Note
Do not contin ue driving if the. symbol
illuminates. There is a malfunct ion in the
engine cooling system -you could damage
your eng ine .
9::::r: Engine oil pressure malfunction
The red engine oil pressure warning symbol
requires immediate service or repair .
If the . symbol appears in the display and
flashes, the oil pressure is too low. In addi tion
to the symbol, the following message also ap ­
pears in the d isp lay:
Sw itch off engine and check oil le vel
~ Pull off the road and stop the vehicle.
~ S hu t the engine down .
~ Check the engine oi l level c:> page 180.
~ Contact your a uthori zed Audi dea ler for as-
s istance if necessary .
Engine oil level too low
If the engine oil level is too low, top off oi l to
the proper leve l
i::>poge 180.
Engine oil level OK
If the . symbo l sta rts flas hing again even
though the engine oil leve l checks O K on the
d ipstick,
do not sta rt driv ing again and do
not let the engine run at idle .
Instead, con­
tact your author ized A udi dealer for assis­
tance.
l ) - : US A mod els on ly
Dr iver in formati on sys tem 33
Bu Fuel supply too low
When the fD1 symbol illum inates, t his means
there are abo ut 2.6 gallons (10 liters) o f fuel
left in the fue l tank . Time to re fuel!
c:> page 171 .
If the symbol lights up, even when there is
amp le fue l in the t ank, and the text
TANK
SYSTEM MALFUNCTION
! CONTACT WORK­
SHOP
appears in the disp lay, there is a fa ult in
the system . Contact a qualified works hop to
have the fa ult rectif ied .
~,,., Checking the engine oil level
II Please add ma x. 1 qt of engine o il!
If the II symbol comes on , add 1 quart (1 li­
ter) of oil at the n ext opportunity
i::> page 180.
~tt, Engine oil sensor defective
If the II symbol illuminates, contac t your
authorized Aud i dea le r and have t he oil sensor
inspected .
(0) Worn brake pads
EiJ Brake pad s!
If the warning light illuminates, immed iate ly
contact your authorized Audi dealer or quali­
fied wor kshop to have all brake pads i nspect­
ed. On USA models the war ning light
EiJ
comes on together w ith the w arning ligh t
1111. Both se ts of brake pads on an ax le
must a lways be rep laced at the same time.
A WARNING
-=
Driving with ba d brakes can cause a colli ­
sion and ser ious personal in jury.
- If the warn ing light
EiJ and the warning
light
11111> with the message Brake
-
pads! comes on in the instrument cluster ~

7 2 Warm and cold
Warm and cold
Climate controls
Controls
The climate controls automatically maintain the selected temperature in the vehicle interior
throughout each season .
Fig. 82 Climate contro ls
We recommend the following sett ing :
> Rotate the knob 9 fig. 82 @ to the right to
switch on the air conditioning .
> Set the temperature to 72 °F (22 °().
> Press the !AUTO !~ fig. 82 button .
Using the previously recommended setting is
the quickest way to achieve a comfortable cli ­
mate in the vehicle . This setting should there­
fore only be changed when persona l comfort
l evels or certain circumstances require it.
The climate controls are a combination of au ­
tomatic heating and ventilation systems and a
coo ling system which dehum idifies and coo ls
the air inside the veh icle.
The climate controls automatically maintain a temperature once it has been set . The tem­
perat ure of the air from the vents, fan speed
(air volume) and a ir dist ribution are also auto­
mat ical ly adjusted . The system also takes into
account strong s unshine so that manua l ad­
justment is not necessary. So in almost all cases,
a ut om at ic mode offers the best condi­
tions for the comfort of the occupants at all
times of the year
9 page 75 .
Plea se not e:
In cooling mode , relative humidity in the inte­
rior is reduced . This prevents the w indows
from fogg ing up. When outside temperatures
are low (temperatures below freezing), the air
condit ion ing (compressor) switches off auto­
matically - air in the vehicle inte rior is not de­
humid ified.
When relative hum idity and temperatures
outside are h igh,
co nden sat e can drip from
the a ir cond ition ing evaporator and form a
pool of water under the vehi cle. This is normal
and not an ind ication of a leak!
When outs ide temperatures are low, the fan
doe s not switch to a h igher speed until the
coolant has reached an adequate tempera­
tu re, with the exception of the defrost set­
ting.
When accelerating at wide-open throttle, the air conditioning compressor is temporarily
switched off to maintain full eng ine power .
In order to ensure engine cooling under ex­
t reme engine loads , the compressor is switch­
ed off if coolant temperatures climb too high . .,..

-The engine c annot be started by pushing
or towing the vehicle.
@) For the sake of the environment
To avo id u nnecessary engine wea r and to
reduce exhaust emissions, do not let your
vehicle stand and warm up . Be ready to
drive off immediately after start ing your
veh icle.
Stopping the engine
On vehicles with R tronic*, the engine can be
turned off in the neutral position N and in
each gear (1 -6 and R).
.. Turn the ignition key to position@
¢page 77, fig. 85.
A WARNING
- Never turn off the eng ine unt il the vehi­
cle has come to a complete stop.
- The brake booster and servotronic on ly
work when the engine is running. With
the ignition turned off, you have to apply
more force when steering or braking.
S ince you cannot steer and stop norma l­
ly, this can lead to accidents and ser ious
injuries.
(D Note
- If the engine has been under heavy load
for an extended period of time, heat
builds up in the engine compartment af­
ter the eng ine is sw itched off -there is a
risk of damaging the engine . Allow the
engine to continue to run at idle for a
short time or drive until it has cooled
down before you turn it off¢
page 159 .
-If the engine has been under heavy load
for an extended period of time, it can be­
come extreme ly hot. You should not park
your vehicle over eas ily combustible ob­
jects or areas (e .g. grass or leaves). There
i s a risk of start ing a fire.
On th e road 7 9
@ Tips
After the engine has been switched off, the
radiator fan can continue to run for up to
10 minutes -even wit h the ignition switch­
ed off. It can also sw itch on again after
some time if the coolant temperatu re rises
as the result of heat bu ildup or if the en­
gine compartment is heated by the s un's
r ays and the engine is hot.
Parking brake
Parking brake
When the parking brake is set, it prevents the
vehicle from rolling away unintentionally .
Fig. 86 Ce nter console: Pa rk ing b rake set
Set ting the parking brake
.. Pull the parking brake lever all the way up.
Releasing th e park ing bra ke
.. Pull the parking brake lever up slight ly and
press the release button at the same time
¢ fig. 86 ·arrow· .
.. Keep the re lease button pressed and lower
the parking brake¢,&..
If you shou ld drive off with the parking brake
still set, a warning tone will sound and the
follow ing message wi ll appear in the instru­
ment cluster to remind you to release the
parking brake:
Parking bra ke is appl ied
T he parking brake warning comes on only af­
ter you have driven for longer than 3 seconds
and faster than 3 mph (5 km/h). ..,.

Checking and filling Engine compartment
lid
Relea sing the engine compartment lid
The engi ne compartment lid is released from
inside the vehicle.
F ig . 139 Dr ive r's side: releasing the engine compart­
ment lid
Requi rement: The ignition must be switched
on.
• Make sure the rear spoiler is retracted
9page 152.
• Pull the@ button. The engine compart­
ment lid opens slightly.
• Open the engine compartment lid
9 .&,.
_& WARNING
Hot engine coolant can burn you.
- To redu ce the r isk of being burned, never
open the engine compartment lid if you
see or hear steam or coolant escaping
from the engine compartment . Wait un­
ti l no steam or coolant can be seen or
heard before carefully opening the en­
gine compartment lid .
(D Note
To prevent damage to t he vehicle, only
open the engine compartment lid when
the convertib le top storage bay lid is
closed.
Checkin g and fillin g 175
@ Tips
An emergency release can be used if the
engine compartment lid cannot be re- l eased with the button @
i:> page 177.
Working in the engine compartment
Be especially careful whenever you work in
the engine compartment!
Whenever you must perform any work in the
engine compartment, for example checking
and filling the d ifferent flu ids, there is a risk
of in jury, burns and accidents . To prevent per­
sonal injury always observe the following
WARNINGS . The engine compartment of any
vehicle is a hazardous area'
i:> A .
_& WARNING ,.;;
To help avoid injury, before you check any­
thing under the engine compa rtment lid:
- Sw itch off the engine.
- Remove the ignition key.
- Apply the parking brake.
- Move selector lever of R tronic to "N"
(Neutral); p ut manual transmission in
Neutral.
- Always let the eng ine cool down. Hot
components w ill burn skin on contact.
- To reduce the risk of being b urned, never
open the engine compartment lid if you
see or hear steam or coo lant escaping
from the eng ine compartment. Wa it un­
til no steam or coolant can be seen or
hea rd before carefully opening the en­
gine compa rtment lid.
- Keep ch ild ren away from the engine com­
pa rtment.
- Never sp ill fluids o n hot engine compo­
nents. T hey can cause a fi re .
- Never open the coolant reservoir cap
when the engine is still warm. The cool­
ant system is pressurized and hot cool­
ant cou ld spray o ut.
- Protect your face, hands and arm from
steam or hot e ngine coolant by plac ing a ""