AUDI R8 SPYDER 2012 Owner's Manual

Instruments and warning/indicator lights 19
Contact your authorized Audi dealer for assis­
tance if necessary.
@ Tips
The brake light switch is only inspected as
pa rt of the functional check after the en ­
gine is started.
@ Light/rain sensor defective
Applies to vehicles: with automatic headlights
The indicator light indicates a defect in the
automatic headlights/automatic wiper sys ­
tem.
If the symbol illum inates, the light sensor has
failed. For safety reasons, the low beams are
turned on permanently with the switch in
AU­
TO. However, you can continue to turn the
lights on and off using the light switch. In the
case of a defect in the rain sensor, the wind­
shield wiper lever functions are still available .
H ave the light/ra in sensor checked as soon as
possible at an author ized Audi dealer.
; Audi magnetic ride
The indicator light monitors vehicle damping.
The indicator light E ill uminates when the ig­
nition is switched on as
a function check.
(D Tips
If the ind icator lamp illuminates while you
are driving, there is a malfunct ion in the
veh icle damping. The chass is should be in­
spected immediately by an authorized Au­
di dealer.
-:;J. Rear spoiler
The warning/indicator light monitors the
electrically retractable rear spoiler .
The warning/indicator light Ii! has the follow­
ing functions:
-It comes on for about 3 seconds as a func­
t ion check when the ignition is switched on.
- It comes on if there is a ma lfunction in the
electrically retractable rear spoiler . Additional
information about the electr ica lly
retractable rear spoiler
r:;, page 144.
,.YI F{ Selector lever defective
Applies to vehicles : with R tronic
g Ii] Selector lever defective! No reverse
gear!
If the symbols are i lluminated, there is a mal­
function in the R tronic selector lever . These­
l ector lever d isp lays go out or flash. It is not
poss ible to engage reverse gear. If you have
been shifting the transm iss ion manually, it
switches to automat ic operation.
You can continue to shift the transmission manually. From the neutral position N, en­
gage first gear by tapp ing the shift button
0
o n the steering wheel. Then the transmission
remains in manual operat ion and you can se­
lect the gears using the s hift buttons.
Have the selector lever checked as soon as
poss ible at an authorized Aud i dealer or other
qualified workshop .
i~Jf Clutch is overheating
Applies to vehicles:
ffl O Clutch: Overheating possible. See own­
er's manual.
If the symbols are i llum inated, the clutch is
ove rheating and could be damaged if you con­
tinue to drive.
Stop your vehicle and allow the engine to run
at idle for several m inutes . This w ill cool the
clutch.
0 Gearbox malfunction
App lies to vehicles: wit h R tro nic
In the event of a system malfunction, R tronic
switches to emergency ope rat ion mode.
[O) Gearbox malfunction! You can continue
driving
You can continue to drive the vehicle. See an authorized Aud i dealer or other qualified
workshop at the next opportun ity . ..,.

20 Instruments and warning/indicator lights
[O] Gearbo x malfunct ion! You can continue
dri ving but functions are rest ricted
There is a serio us sys tem ma lf u nction:
- The prog ram shifts only i nto ce rtain gears.
- The eng ine may sta ll.
- It is not possib le to restart the eng ine if it
has been switched off.
- Contin uing to dr ive could result in s ubse­
quent damage.
0 Note
If R tronic has switc hed to emergency op­
erat ion mode, you s hou ld have the mal­
function corrected as soon as possible .
(J.) Tire pressure monitoring system
Applies to vehicles: with tire pressure monitoring system
Tire pressure that is too low must be correct ­
ed as soon as possible .
The warning/ind icator light
[I] i ll uminates fo r
a few seconds afte r the ignit ion is t urned on
as a funct io n check. If t he (I] warning light
co mes on, pressu re in at least one tire is too
low .
.,. Stop driv ing as soon as possible without e n­
dange ring yourse lf and other drivers on the
r oad.
• Inspect all tires.
• Correc t the t ire pressur e¢ page 189 .
Addit ional information about the
t ire pres ­
sure monitoring system
can be found
¢ page 201.
¢¢ Turn signals
The indicator light blinks when you use either
turn signal .
Whenever you use the left
R or the r ight II
turn signal , the ind icator light blinks. When
you use the emergency flasher, both indicator
lig hts flash .
If one of the tu rn s ignal light bu lbs burn out,
the t urn signa l wi ll blink tw ice as fast as n or­
mal. Additional
in formation on the turn s ignals
¢ page 51.
CRUISE/ (,)" Cruise control
The (lj;(i)~i~ (USA mode ls)/ . (Canada models)
warning/indicator light illuminates whe n the
cruise control is activated .

Driver information
system
Introduction
The Driver information display inside the in­
strument cluster provides you, the driver,
with important information .
Fig. 6 Instrument cl uster: ce nte r display
Fig. 7 Wiper lever: controls fo r the menu d isplay
Center display
W ith the ignition on, the display in the Dr iver
I nforma tion System shows the fo llow ing in­
formation :
- CD inserted or Radio station set
- Outs ide temperature: At temperatures be-
low 41
°F (+S 0 (), a snowflake symbol ap­
pears in front of the temperatu re display
c:> &_ .
-Wa rning when a door, the engine compa rt-
me nt lid or the trun k lid is not closed.
Additional functions
You can ope n the following functions i n the
Driver Information System display by p ressing
the
! RESET I button ¢ fig. 7 one or more times:
T rip computer
¢ page 23
Digital speedometer
Dr iver in formation system 21
Gear indicato r
Lap timer
Menu display
c:>page27
<=>page25
The speed warning system is also displayed in
the Driver Information System. You can read how to set it in ¢
page 29 .
Auto Check Control
Some f unctions and vehicle components are
scanned for their operating stat us when yo u
switc h the ign ition on and whi le you are driv­
ing. Malfunctions or required service proce­
dures are s ignaled audib ly and ind icated by
red and yellow il luminated symbols and re­
minde rs in the disp lay.
_&. WARNING
-
- N ever re ly exclusively on the o utside
temperat ure display to determ ine i f a
road surfa ce is icy or not. Keep in mind
that road surfaces, espec ia lly bridges
and overpasses, co uld be ice covered and
slippery even at an outside temperature
above 41
°F (+5 °().
- Always remember, even if the "snow­
f lake" symbo l (ice warning) does not ap­
pea r in the d isp lay, black ice cou ld be on
the road.
- Always reduce your speed and drive with
special care in cold weathe r cond itions
when the chance of encountering icy
road surfaces inc reases.
@ Tips
- On vehicles with R tronic*, the rem inders
do not appea r in the disp lay until you se­
lect a gear.
- On vehicles with Audi Nav igat io n system,
the displays may d iffe r from their normal
appearance duri ng nav iga tion .

22 Driver in formation sy ste m
Service interval display
The service interval display reminds you when
your next service is due.
Fig. 8 Section of instr ume nt cluster : Service inte rva l
display
The schedule for the next oil change or inspec­
tion is calculated automatically and displayed
according ly. The display works in two stages :
Service rem inder
30 days before the next service is due, a serv­
ice reminder appears in the display when you
turn on the ignition.
After abo ut
S seconds the display sw itches
back to normal. The d istance and time re­
maining are updated eac h time the ignition is
turned on until the date due for service is reached .
Service due
When the due date for service is re ached , the
message
S erv ice due! appears in the instru­
ment cluster immediately after you tu rn on
the ignition. Additionally, a warn ing tone
sounds . After about
S seconds the display
switches back to normal.
Calling up th e servic e schedule s
If or when an oil change or inspection is due,
can be shown in the instrument cluster by se­
l ecting the service interval display . Select
C heck > Service > Oil chang e or Service by us­
ing the
! R ESE T I button and the rocker switch
c;,page25, fig.12.
Re setting the ser vice in te rv al di spla y
Your authorized A udi dealer w ill reset the cor­
responding service sched ule after perform ing the appropr
iate service on your veh icle. You
also have the possibi lity to reset the oil
change schedule after hav ing performed an
o il change according to Aud i specif ications.
- Switch the ignition on.
- Pull the knob
¢ fig . 8 . The message . Service
due!
appears .
- Pull the knob until the display
Oi l change in
----- mi ( km)·-- day s
appears. If the I RESET I
button is not pu lled w ithin 5 seconds, the
disp lay reset mode closes .
(D Note
If you disconnect t he battery term inals, no
ca lcula tions can be made for the service
i nterval disp lay during th is time and no
service reminder will appear. Remember
that observing the proper service intervals
i s vitally important to extending the life of
your vehicle, pa rticularly the engine, and
maintain ing its value . Eve n if the mileage
drive n is low, t he maximum period of one
year from one servi ce to the next m ust no t
be exceeded.
(D Tips
- Do not reset the display b etwee n oil
changes, othe rwise the disp lay w ill be in­
correc t.
- The information in the Service Reminder
remains stored eve n when t he vehi cle
ba ttery is disconnec ted.
On-Board Diagnostic
system (OBD)
Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL )
The Ma lf u nction Indi cato r Lamp ( MIL) II is
part of the On- Board Diagnostic (OBD II) sys ­
tem.
T he wa rni ng lig ht illuminates when the re is a
malfunction in the engine elect ro ni c system .
A mal func tion may have va rious causes :
- The f uel f iller cap may be improperly closed
c;, page 166. ..,.

-There is a leak in the fuel vapo r recovery sys ­
tem .
- The eng ine control receives faulty vehicle
roadspeed signa ls.
Contact your nea rest au thori zed A udi dealer
for assis tance .
If the light illuminates , the catalyt ic converte r
could be damaged . Continue driving
with re·
du ced power
(avo id ing susta ined high speeds
a nd/or rap id acce lerations) and have the con­
d ition correc ted .
An improp erly closed fuel fi ller cap may also
cause the MIL li ght to i llum ina te
q page 166.
On-Board Diagnostics
Fig. 9 Loc atio n of Data Link Co nnec to r (DLC )
On-Board Diagnostics monitors the compo­
nents of your emission co ntrol system . Each
monitored component in your eng in e system
has been assigned a code. I n case of a mal­
fun ction, the component will be ide ntified
and the fau lt stored as a code in t he con tro l
mod ule memory .
I n o rder to make an a ccurate d iagnos is, the
stored d ata ca n only be di splayed using spe ­
cial diagnos tic eq uipment (gener ic s can tool
for OBD).
I n o rder to connect the special diagnosti c
eq uip ment, push the p lug into t he Data Link
Connector (D LC). The DLC is lo cated to the
righ t of the engine compartment lid release
q fig . 9 .
Your auth ori zed A udi dealer or a q ualified
service st ation can in terp ret the code and per ­
form the necessa ry repair.
Dr iver in formation system 23
A WARNING
Do not use t he d iagnost ic connector for
pe rsonal use. Inco rrect usage can cause
malfunctions, wh ich can increase th e risk
of a co llision!
Trip computer
Introduction
The trip computer gives you information on
current and average fuel mileage , average
spe ed, fuel range and driving time.
Fi g. 10 Tri p co mpute r 1
You can switch between the trip computer 1
and 2 by pressing the
! R ES ET I button @
qpage 24, fig . 11 .
You can te ll wh ich memory leve l is currently
active by the number in t he disp lay ¢
fig. 10 .
The data from the s ingle-trip memory (memo­
ry level 1) is being disp layed if a
1 appears in
the d isplay . If a
2 is shown, then the data
from the to tal -tr ip memo ry is being displayed
(memory level 2).
Single-trip memory (Trip computer 1)
The single-trip memory stores the tr ip infor ­
mation from the time the ig nitio n is turned on
u nt il it is turned off .
If the trip is cont inued
within 2 hours fr om the time the ignition was
turned off, the new data will be in cl ud ed in
the calculat io n of the current tr ip in forma­
tion . If the trip is interr upted fo r
more than 2
hours
the memory is reset automatically. .,..

24 Driver information system
Total-trip memory (Trip computer 2 )
Unlike the single -t rip memory, t he tota l-trip
memory is not rese t autom atically. This per ­
mits you to eval uate your d riving data for the
enti re pe riod between manual resets.
Fuel range
The e stima ted cruising ra nge in miles (km)
ap pears in the display. The disp lay ch anges in
increments of 6 miles ( 10 km) .
Average fuel mileage
The average fuel economy in MPG (l/ 100 km)
si nce you last clea red the memory appears i n
this displ ay .
Current fuel mileage
The instantaneous fuel consumption in miles
pe r gallo n (l/ 100 km) is shown in this d isplay .
When the ve hicle is stationary, the most r e­
cent fuel consumpt ion is di splayed.
Average speed
The average speed in mph (km/h) si nce the
last time the disp lay was reset appears in the
d isplay .
Elapsed time
The length of time that you have been driving
since you last reset the memo ry appears in
this display. The maximum time period that
can be recorded is 999 hou rs and 59 mi nutes.
Distance
The elapsed distance since the last time the
memory was clea red appears i n the display .
The maximum d istance that can be recorded
i s 9,999.9 m iles (9,999 .9 ki lometers) .
@ Tips
All stored values will be lost if the vehicle
battery is disc onnected .
Operation
The trip computer is controlled by two
switches on the windshield wiper lever .
----@
Fig . 11 W ipe r arm/w iper lever: co ntro ls for t he t rip
computer
Select ing the trip computer
.. Tap the I RESE T I button @ unti l the t rip
computer (memory level 1 or 2) appears in
the display
c:> page 23, fig . 10 .
Selecting the functions
., u,
8 ,;.
~
.. Push in t he up per (lower) protr usio n on t he
fu nction selector sw itch ®
c:> fig. 11 . The
functions fo r th e tr ip comp ute r are dis­
played in succession on t he respective mem­
ory leve ls.
Resetting the fun ction to zero
.. Push the I RESET ! button @ for at least two
seconds .
You can rese t the following values to zero:
- driving time
- d istance
- average fuel mileage
- average speed
T he tri p computer on ly operates whe n the ig­
nition is on. When you turn o n the ignition,
t h e function that was in use when you last
turned the ignition off wi ll be displayed .
(D Tips
-Yo u can also set the va lues for t he f unc ­
tions to zero in the me nu dis play
(Reset )
c:>page 25.
-All stored val ues will be lost if t he vehi­
cle battery is d isconnected .

Menu display
Introduction
-----®
Fig . 12 W iper lever: Controls for the men u display
Display Ty e
~Set
• 1r
che c1<:----
Menu off
Fig. 13 D isplay: Start me nu
Some functions in your veh icle can be set, ac ­
tivated, and controlled by
Menus (e.g. Acous­
tic park ass ist*). With these menus you can al­
so se lect the info rmation show n in the Driver
Information System, which ope rates only with
the ignition switched on . Operation is cont rol­
l ed by the
I RESET ! button and the rocker
sw itch on the w iper lever ¢ fig. 12.
The
Start menu shows you the different dis­
play types:
Set
Che ck
Menu off
Each display type in the Start menu contains a
submenu with add itional opt io ns.
Set
Dr iver in formation system 25
C lock
¢ page
26
Tire pressure
¢page200
Computer
¢page 26
Speed warning
¢page30 L ang uage
q page26
Units (distance, fuel consump­
tion, temperature) ¢page26
Disp lays (lap timer)
Lights
¢page49
W ipers (se rv ice position)
¢ page55
Doors (unlocking and locking
mode)
¢page34
Check Service
Chassis number
¢page 215
Keys
Menu off The menu display is hidden and
the lap timer appears.

26 Driver information system
Navigating the menu
Use the rocker switch on the windshield wiper
lever and the
I RES ET I button to operate the
menu and carry out inquiries and selections .
~----1@
Fig. 14 Wip er lev er: Controls for t he men u dis play
Fig. 15 Display: Start menu
I RESET I button @ and rocker switch @
q fig . 14 functions:
To open the menu
" Press the I RES ET I button @ until the menu
display ¢
fig. 15 appears .
Selections and settings
" Press the rocker switch @to reach a menu
display . The switch is operated the same as
the display (up/down) .
Entering and confirming
.. Press the I RESET I button @.
Returning to the Start menu
" Press the !RESET I button longer than 2 sec­
onds to return from any menu level to the
Start menu.
Using the rocker switch, you can select the
menus in the d isp lay or change settings. A cursor appears on
the left in front of these­
lected values.
By press ing the
IRESET I button, you activate
the selec tion you made or confi rm the values
you set.
Selected functions are identified with
a check mark or are carried out directly .
Mean ings of the symbols in the display :
Selec­
tion bar
>
D
Selected funct ion Mean ing
Cursor
Check mark
Box Current Selec­
tion
Selected or
Function active
Not selected
Triangle pointing Previous page
up
Triangle pointing IINext page
down
Selecting settings
The Driver Information System settings are
menu -guided .
Fig. 16 Display : Menu Sett ings, com puter selec ted
(page 1)
" Press the I RESET I button. The Start menu
appears
q page 25, fig. 13.
" Press the rocker switch until Set is dis­
played.
" Press the
I RESET I button. All the menus ap­
pear.
" Press the rocker switch until the desired Line
is highlighted (cursor) ¢
fig. 16.
" Press the I RESET ! button. ..,.

.. If necessary, scroll by se lecting and activat ­
ing the symbol for "Next page" or "Previous
page".
When you have selected the Computer menu
and activated it by pressing the
I RESET I but­
ton, two computer leve ls appear (computer 1
and computer 2). Now you have to select the
level you want using the rocker switch and ac­
tivate it w ith the
I RESET I button.
Lap timer
Introduction
The lap timer allows you to record and evalu­
ate lap times .
The instrumen t cluster display shows the t ime
in m inutes, seconds and tenths o f a second.
For lap times longer than one hour, the hour
is also shown automatically. The maximum re­
cordab le time for a single measurement is 99
h ours , 59 m inutes and 59 and 9/10 seconds.
If t he lap timer reaches th is value, the tim ing
stops on its own or it switches to pause mode
via
c::;, page 28.
A WARNING
Pl ease d evote your fu ll attent ion to driv­
ing. As the d river, yo u have comp lete re­
sponsibility fo r sa fe ty i n traffic. Only use
t he functions in such a way that you always
ma inta in complete control over your veh i-
de in all traff ic sit uat ions.
(D Tips
All of the trip compu ter functions are
availab le as usua l w hen the lap timer stop­
watch is runn ing.
-
Dr iver in formation system 2 7
Selecting the lap timer
---®
Fig. 17 Contro ls
Fi g. 18 D isplay: Lap timer
.. With the ignition on, press the I RESET I b ut­
ton @
r=;,fig . 17 unt il the lap timer r=;,fig. 18
appears.
Starting the timer
Fig. 19 D isplay: Lap 1
F ig . 20 D isplay: Lap 1 is saved, lap 2 is started

28 Driver information system
The top row shows the current lap number: e.
g.
LAP 2 ( = second lap).
Starting lap time
.. Press the upper section of the rocker
switch. Row@¢
fig. 19 disp lays the current
lap time.
Saving lap time
.. Press the upper section of the rocker switch
again. This simultaneously starts the meas­
urement for the next lap.
After being saved, the first recorded lap time moves from the lowest to the next highest
line in the display@~
fig. 20. The lower line
@ identifies the newly started lap time.
Recording additional lap times
Fig. 21 Display: Lap 2 is saved
After starting the lap timer, a timed lap is
comp leted and stored and t iming beg ins for
the next lap every time the upper section of
the rocker switch is pressed. Continue as de­
scr ibed above to measure additional lap
times.
The current lap time is disp layed in the bot­
tom line of the display @¢
fig. 21.
After being saved, the last recorded lap time
moves from the lower to the next higher line
on the display @~
fig. 21. The lap time be­
fore the last one also
moves up one line @.
The lowest line © identifies the newly started
l ap time.
Displaying split time or inserting a
pause
Split time is indicated by a star.
Fi g. 22 D isplay: Showing a split t ime
It is possible to recall split times for spec ific
stretches. If you wo uld like to insert a pause
during a lap, you can stop the time recording.
Displaying split time or inserting a pause
.. Press on the lower section of the rocker
switch to
display the split time @. While
the split time marked with a star is being
disp layed, the time recording continues to
run in the background .
.. Press the lower section of the rocker switch
again to
insert a pause . Timing is interrupt·
ed, the star in the last row disappears .
Resuming timing
.. Press the upper section of the rocker switch
to resume timing from the split time or pause display.
Switching the display between the lap
timer and trip computer
You can retrieve info rmation from the t rip
computer while the lap timer stopwatch is
runn ing.
Selecting the trip computer
.. Press the I RESET I button briefly to display
the trip computer . You can now operate the
trip computer as usual.
Selecting the lap timer
.. Press the I RESET I button until the lap timer
¢page 27, fig. 18 appears .