wiper blades AUDI R8 SPYDER 2011 Owners Manual

60 Clear v is ion
Moving w iper blades to the service
posit ion
.. Do not lift the wiper arms away from the
glass when they are in their parked position;
this would damage the paint on the front
lid .
.. When there is a risk of frost, make sure that
the wiper b lades are not frozen to the wind­
shield .
.. Move wipe r blades to the se rvice posit ion
¢page 61.
The windshield wipers and washer on ly work
when the ignition is turned on.
To reduce the sensit iv ity of the sensor, move
switch @down . To increase the sens itiv ity,
move the switch up. The higher you adjust the
sens itivity, the faste r th e sensor will react
when it senses moisture on the w indshield.
The pauses between w iper turns depend not
on ly on the sensitivity setting, but on the ve ­
hicle speed as well.
Du ring a temporary stop, e.g . at a t raff ic sig­
na l, the set wipe r speed is automatically re­
duced by one stage.
When the igni tion is tu rned on, the washer
jets are heated.
_& WARNING
- Wipe r blades a re cruc ial for safe driving!
Only when they are in good cond ition are
they able to clear the windows properly
to provide uncompromising visibility.
Worn or damaged wiper blades are a safety hazard ¢
page 61, Replacing
front wiper blades!
- The light/ra in sensor is only des igned to
assist and support the dr iver .
It remains
entirely the d river 's responsibility to
mon itor outs ide weather conditions and
to manually activate the w ipers as soon
as rain o r dri zzle red uces visibi lity
thro ugh t he windshie ld.
- T he windshie ld must not be treated with
water-repe llent materials. They can in­
crease glare under poor visib ility condi­
tions such as wetness, darkness, or when the s
un is low on the horizon . In addi­
tion, they can cause the w indshield w ip­
ers to chatter .
(D Note
In freezing or near freezing conditions:
- Always check that the w iper b lades are
not frozen to the g lass before you turn
the wipers on . Loosen a wiper blade
wh ich is frozen in place before operating
the wipers to prevent damage to the
w iper blade or the wiper motor.
- Do not use the w ipers to clear a frosted
window. Us ing the wipers as a conven­
ient ice scraper will destroy the wiper
blades .
- Before you take your veh icle to an auto­
matic car wash, make sure you have the
w indshield w iper system switched off
(lever in position 0), otherwise the w ind­
shield w iper system could get damaged
in the car wash if it should suddenly
come on .
(D Tips
-The windshie ld w ipers are switched off
w hen the ignit ion is turned off. Act ivate
t he winds hield wipers after the igni tion
is switched back on by moving the wind­
shield wiper lever to any position.
- Worn or d irty windshield wipe r blades
cause smearing, which can affect the op­
eration of the light/rain sensor . Check
the cond ition of your windsh ield wiper
blades regularly.
- When the wipers are switched on man­
ually and in ra in cond itions, the auto­
matic headlights turn on
¢ page 55 or
off during the day when the wipers are
no longer operating . The automat ic
head lights fu nction is avai lab le in this
case on ly w hen the light switch is in the
"A UTO" posit ion ¢
page 55, fig. 63.
-Make su re the washer fluid reservoir is
t opped off before goi ng on a long tr ip.
Look up ¢
page 188 for checking and
filling the washe r containe r.

-If you switch off the ignition w ith the
windshield wiper lever still in the inter­
val w ipe pos ition and then come back a
while later and dr ive off , the rain sensor
will reactivate itself after the vehicle
speed has exceeded 4 mph (6 km/h) .
Service position
It is only possible to change wiper blades if
you move the wiper arms to the service posi­
tion .
In order to use the windshield wipers, the
front lid must be comp letely closed.
Moving w ipe r blade s to the service
position
.. When there is a risk of frost, make sure that
the wiper b lades are no t frozen to the wind­
shield .
.. Switch the ign ition on .
.. Move the wiper lever to pos ition
0
c::> page 59, fig. 69 .
.. Press the I RESE T I button unt il the Display
type
menu appears in the Driver Informa­
tion System display .
.. Using the rocker switch and the
!RESET I b ut­
ton, select the
Set > Wiper s > Front > Serv ­
ic e position on
function . The wind sh ield
wiper arms move to the service pos it ion.
Moving w ipe r blade s to park po siti on
.. Make certain that the wiper arms are ly ing
against the w indshie ld .
.. Switch the ignition on and move the wipe r
lever from position
O to 4 c::> page 59 ,
fig. 69. The wiper arms will move back to
t h e park pos ition .
(D Note
Never drive your vehicle when the wind­
shield w iper arms are in the service pos i­
tion and pulled away from the windshie ld.
When you dr ive faster than
4 mp h (6 km/
h), the w iper arms a utomat ica lly re turn to
t he par k position and could ca use pa int
d amage to the front lid!
Clear vi sion 61
@ Tips
- Yo u can also turn on t he service position,
for example, if yo u want to protect the
w indshield from icing by using a cover.
- Th e service posit io n moves to
off auto­
matically when you operate the wind­
shield wiper lever, or speed exceeds
4 mph (6 km/h).
Replacing front wiper blades
Wiper blades in good condition help keep the
windshield clear.
Fi g. 70 Unl atching w ipe r blade s
Fig. 71 Re mov ing w iper b lades
Removing the wiper blade
.. Move the wipers to the service pos it ion
c::> page 61.
.. Fold the windsh ie ld w iper arm away from
the glass .
N 0
i ,:. .., m
.. On the upper end of the wiper arm at the
corr uga tion, squeeze the p lastic ret ainer to­
gethe r on both s ides in the direction of the
arrow
c::> fig. 70.
.. Rotate the w iper b lade in the direction of
the arrow @
c::> fig. 71 away from the wiper
arm .
.. Lift the wiper b lade off in the d irection of
t he arrow @.

62 Clear vis ion
Install ing th e wiper blade
.,. Pla ce the rounded end of the wiper onto the
end of the w iper arm in the
op pos ite direc ­
tion to the arrow @
r=;, fig. 71.
.,. Squeeze the corrugation on the w iper until
you hear it click in the wiper arm .
.,. Fold the wiper arm back onto the wind­
shield .
.,. Switch the ign ition on and move the wiper
lever down briefly
r=;, page 59, fig . 69 . The
wipe r will move back to the park position.
_& WARNING
- Clean yo ur wiper blades regularly w it h a
windshield washer solution to prevent streaking. If the wipe r blades are very
dirty, for examp le with insects, carefu lly
clean the w iper blades with a sponge or a
soft brush.
- For your safety, you should replace the
wiper blades once or twice a year. See
your authorized Aud i dealer for replace­
ment blades.
(D Note
- The w iper blades may only be changed
r=;, page 61 in the service position! Other­
wise, you r isk damaging the paint on the
front lid o r the windsh ield wiper motor .
- To prevent damage to the wiper system:
-Always loose n blades which a re fro zen
t o the windshield before operating
w ipers.
- Do not use gasoline, kerosene, paint
t hinne r, or o ther solven ts on o r near
t he wipe r blades .
- Do not attemp t to move the wipers by
hand.
{D) Tips
The front wiper b lades are different
lengths; the blade o n the dr ive r's side is
longer .
Mirrors
Automatically dimming inside mirror
The automatic dimming function can be
turned on and off if required .
Fig . 72 Inside rearv iew mirror: auto d imming on/off
button and ind icator lig ht
Disabling auto d imming
.,. Press button ® r=;, fig. 72 -the green indica­
tor light @ goes out .
Activating /reactivating auto dimming
.,. Press button @¢ fig. 72 -the green indica-
tor light @ goes on .
Automatic dimming function
The automatic dimming function is act ivated
every time the ign it ion is turned on . T he g reen
indica tor light is lit to indicate auto d imming
is active.
When dimming is act ivated, the inside m irror
will darken
automatically i n response to the
amount of light st riking the mirro r (such as
headlig hts from rearward approaching vehi­
cles). Even in dimming mode, the mirror sur­
face turns bright when:
- t he in terior lig ht is swi tched on
- reverse gear is engaged.
Senso rs for automatic headlight s
With the help of the sensors in the mirror,
when the light switc h is in the
AUTO posit ion,
the low beams are switched on and off auto­ matically depending on the amb ient light con-
ditions. ..,.

164 Cleaning and protection
_& WARNING
Always read and heed a ll WARNING and
other Information
c::> page 161.
Plastic and vinyl
-
Use a clean, damp cloth or sponge to remove
dust and light surface dirt. For other soil, use
a lukewarm all-purpose clean ing solution or a
mild saddle soap for viny l trim. Paint care
products are not suitable for plastic and vinyl.
_& WARNING
Always read and observe all WARNINGS and other i nfo rmation
c::> page 161.
Carbon-fiber parts
App lies to vehicles: with carbon-fiber parts
The carbon -fibe r parts of your ve hicle have a
pa inted su rface. They do no t require special
care and are cleaned like o ther pa inted parts
¢page 161.
Touch-up paint
-
Your authorized A udi dealer has touch-up
pa int for minor sc ratches and stone ch ips. Mi­
nor paint damages such as scratches or stone
chips should be touched up immediately to prevent cor rosion.
The number for the or igina l vehicle paint can
be found on the vehicle ident ificat ion labe l
c::> page 226 .
However, if corrosion has fo rmed, you must
have this thorough ly removed by you author­
ized A udi dealer or other qualified workshop.
_& WARNING
Always read and heed a ll WARNINGS and
the informa tion
c::> page 161.
Windows
Clear vision improves traffic safety .
In order to maintain the performance of the
windshield wiper blades, never clean the w in­
dow glass with insect remover or wax.
Rubber, o il, g rease, or silicone residue can be
removed using a glass cleaner or a silicone re­
mo ver . Wax residue, however, can only be re­
moved using a spec ial cleaner. You can obta in
more information from yo ur autho rized Aud i
dealer .
You should a lso clean the inside of the win­
dow glass at regular i nterva ls.
T he cloth or chamois used on paint surfaces
contains wax residue. Use a separate cloth or
c h amois to dry the w indow glass.
Cleaning the rear window
Audi recommends clean ing the window using
a soft cotton cloth and water mixed with
cleaning so lution o r window cleane r (1:1 mix­
ture). To avo id streaks, do not w ipe the w in ­
dow dry with paper towels.
Do not use any cleaning sol utions that contain
ammonia, acids, silicone or fluoride or clean­
ers that are abras ive or could cause scratches.
Do not use any alkaline cleaning so luti ons.
_& WARNING ,_
- The winds hield must not be treated w ith
wate r-repellent materials . They can in­
crease glare unde r poo r vis ibility condi­
tions such a s wetness, da rkness, or w hen
the sun is low on the hor izon. In addi­
t ion, they can ca u se the w indshie ld w ip­
ers to chatter .
- Always re ad and h eed a ll WAR NIN GS and
ot her info rm ation
c::> page 161.
(D Note
- Nev er use warm o r hot wate r to remove
snow and i ce from w indows and mir ro rs .
T his co uld c ause the glass to cr ack.
- To p revent damage to t he wires of the
re ar d efogger, do no t place any adhesive .,.

Waxing ..... .. .... ...... ... .. .. ... 161
Wear ind icator ............... ... ... 198
Weights . .. .. ................. .. .. . 226
What happens if you wear yo ur safe ty belt
too loose? ... .. .. .. .... ... .. .. .. ... 113
What happens to unbelted occupa nts? . . 112
What impairs driving safety? ... .. .. .. . 100
W hat should I do after chang ing a
wheel? .. .. .. .. ............. .. .. ... 195
Wheel bolts Torque . ...... ................ .... 205
Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165, 189
Checking tire pressure ..... .. .. .. .. . 195
Cold tire inflat ion pressure . .. .. .. .. . 193
Ge neral notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Glossary of t ire and load ing terminolo-
gy .. .. .. .. ................. .. ... 190
N ew tires and w heels ...... .. .. .. .. . 199
T ires and vehicle load lim its .. .. .. .. . 196
When must the airbag system be inspect -
ed? .... ... ... ............. ...... .. 128
When shou ld I ad just the tire pressures? 195
When shou ld I check the tire pressures? . 195
Where can I find the tire pressures for my
car? ...... ... ............. ...... .. 195
W hy safety belts? ... .... ... .. .. .. ... 110
W ind defle ctor . ........... .. .. .. .... 48
C le ani ng . .. ............. .... .. .. . 163
W indows
C lean ing ... .. ... .. ...... .. .. .. .. . 164
D efrost .. .. .. ... ..... ... .. .. .. .. .. 75
D eic ing .. .. ............. .... .. ... 164
W indshield washer fluid .... .. .. .. .. .. 34
W indshield wipe rs . ..... ... .. .. .. .. . 188
Install ing new wiper blades . ... .. .... 61
Service pos ition .......... .. .. .. .. .. 61
W inte r op er at ion
B att ery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184, 185
Coolant system ... .... ... .. .. .. .. . 18 1
Defrosting w indows .... ... .. .. .. .. .. 75
H eated seats ... .. .... ... .. .. .... .. 76
W indows .. ............. .... .. ... 164
W indshield wipers ........ .. .. .. .. . 188
W inter ti res . ... .... .... ... .. .. .. ... 203
All -whee l drive . .. ..... ... .. .. .. ... 203
W iper and washer system ... .. .. .. .. .. 59
Inde x 239
Wiper b lades
refer to Windshield wipe rs ... ... .. .. . 61 •
•