display AUDI R8 SPYDER 2012 Owner's Manual

To store maximum speed
"' Turn off the ignition.
"' Briefly press the button in the instrument
cluster ¢
page 30, fig. 25 . 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 prev iously.
"' Press the function selector sw itch in the
wipe r lever @¢
fig. 26 up or down to
change the set value. Values 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 30, fig. 25. 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 display.
"' Press the~,
R-E-5-E T~I button in the w iper lever
@ ¢fig. 26 until the crossed out speed
warning symbol for warning threshold 2 ap­
pears in the display.
A few seconds after the adjustment is com­
p leted, the illumination for the odometer and
the digital clock will go out.
(Di Tips
This warn ing threshold can also be con­
trolled through the trip computer
¢ page 26, Navigating the menu.
Driver information system 31

36 Opening and clo sing
The turn signals brief ly flash once and the
horn sounds once when the doors and the
front lid are locked proper ly.
.&_ WARNING
Always read and heed WARNING <=> .& in
General description on page 34.
@ Tips
- However, note that which door is un­
locked
mechanically when the vehicle is
opened depends on the settings in the menu display
c>page 25.
-Both doors are locked automatically
when the vehicle is locked.
Locking/unlocking the vehicle from
inside
The vehicle can be locked or unlocked from
the inside using the power locking switch .
Fig. 32 Section from driver's door: Power locking
sw itch
-
;! M 0
"' .., m
~ To lock the vehicle, press the upper part of
the switch (illc>
fig. 32 c> ..&., .
~ To unlock the vehicle, press the lower part
of the switch
Im.
If you lock the vehicle using the power locking
switch, please note the following:
- You cannot open the doors from the
outside
(increased security, for example when you
are stopped at a red light).
- The LED in the switch
Iii lights up when all
the doors and the front lid are closed and
locked .
- You can unlock and open the doors from the inside by pulling on the door handle. -
You cannot lock the vehicle with the central
locking switch when the driver's door is
open.
- If you have a crash and the airbag is activat­
ed, the doors automatically unlock.
A WARNING
-
-If you use the power locking switch with
the doors closed, remember that all the
vehicle doors will lock.
- Locking doors from the inside can help prevent inadvertent door opening during
an accident and can also prevent unwant­
ed entry from the outside. Locked doors
can, however, delay assistance to vehicle
occupants and hold up rescue efforts
from the outside in an accident or other
emergency .
Emergency locking
If the power locking system fails (power fail­
ure), you will need to lock the passenger door
separately .
Fig. 33 Passenger's door: emergency re lease
For this purpose, a mechanical locking device
is provided on the end panel of the passenger
door (only visib le when the door is open).
~ Removethecap c>fig.33.
~ Insert the key into the inner slot and turn it
to the right as far as it can go.
After you close the door you will no longer be able to open it from the outside . You can open
it from the inside, however, by pulling on the
door latch twice.

(D Note
To p reve nt damage t o the conve rtible top:
- do no t s tore any objects in the converti­
ble top storage bay .
- make sure there is enough space above
the veh icle when opening or closing the
convertible top.
@ Tips
- When the indica to r l amp iii blinks,
there is a system malfunc tion
c> page 15 .
-The one-touch openi ng fun ction is not
ava ilable when the vehicle is traveling
below 4 mph (6 km/h) or above 31 mph
(SO km/h).
If this is the case, a wa rning
tone w ill sound and a message will ap­
pear in the instrument cluster
c> page 41.
Error message in the instrument cluster
display
An error message appears if the convertible
top cannot open or close.
Severa l conditions must be met for the con­
ve rtible top to open or close automatically .
An error message in the inst rument cluste r
d isp lay ind icates if one of the condit ions is not
met or there is a malfunct ion.
Soft top: Please clo se engine lid!
The engine compa rtment lid must be closed
when opening or closing the convertible top .
T his message appears in the instrument clus­
ter d isp lay if the engine compartment lid is
not closed.
Soft top : Cannot be used!
This error message appears if the convertib le
cannot open or close because of safety rea ­
sons or if there is a malfunction . The follow­
ing causes are poss ible:
- The vehicle is t ra veling too fa st: Converti­
ble top operation is deactivated for safety
reasons if the vehicle is traveling too fast . A
message w ill appear . Reduce the vehicle
Con vertible top 41
speed and pu ll or press the sw itch again to
open or close the convertible top.
- The battery voltage i s too low: Th e conver ­
tible top cannot open or close if the battery
voltage is too low. This ens ures there will be
enough battery vo ltage left to start the ve­
hicle . The convertible top can be operated
aga in after the engi ne is started.
- Ove rload protect ion is acti ve: Operating the
convert ible top continuously for a long peri­
od of time p laces stress on the hydraulic
un it. Over load protect io n is act ivated to p re­
vent damage to the system . This protective
fu nction preve nts t he conver tible top from
open ing or close fo r approximate ly 15 to 30
m inu tes.
It will f unct io n a gain a fter tha t
c:::> &..
-Malfun ction : Failure of system components
is one possib le cause fo r malfunction. If this
happens, you can a lso operate the converti­
ble top by hand
c:> page 43 .
-The exterior temperature is too low: The
converti ble top will not o pen in tempera­
t u res below (S °F) (-15 QC).
Soft top not secure
If the conve rtib le to p is not complet ely open
or closed and the vehi cle is t raveling too fast,
the error message above appears and a warn ­
ing tone sounds. Reduce the vehicle speed
and pull or press the switch again to open or close t he convertible top.
A WARNING
N eve r drive when the c onvertible top is not
locked correctly . The wind from driving
could cause the co nvertib le top to open.
T his ca n resu lt in i nju ries and damage to
the vehicle.

Clear vision Lights
Switching the headlights on/off
Fig. 60 Instr ume nt pa nel: lig ht sw itc h (automat ic
head· a nd taill ig ht control)
Switching on the side marke r lights
"' Turn the light switch to ::oo:.
Switching on the headlights and high
beam
"' Turn the light switch to tD.
.,. Push the high beam lever forward towa rds
t h e instrument pane l
Q page 51.
Switching off the lights
.,. Turn the light switch to 0.
Switching on automatic head- and
taillight control
.,. Turn the light switch to AU TO Q fig . 60 .
The headlig hts and tai lligh ts w ill come on au­
tomatically when the ignition is sw itche d on
and the light switch is in the position AU TO
(on ly in nig httime conditions). When switch·
ing off the ignit io n, the headlig hts wi ll go off
and only the side marker lights will remai n lit.
Daytime running lights
USA models: The daytime r unning lig hts will
come on a utomat ica lly when the ig nition is
sw itched on and the light switch is in the posi·
tion
AUTO (only in daylight conditions).
Canada models : Th e daytime runni ng lights
will come on a utomat ically when the ignition
is switched on and the light switch is in the
Clear vi sion 49
position 0 , AUTO (on ly in daylight cond itions)
o r ;oo :.
Automatic head- and taillight control
In the swi tc h p osition AUTO the au tomati c
he ad- and t aillight con tro l is activ ated. Ligh t
senso rs ar e lo cated in t he i nside mirro r hous­
ing and co nstantly chec k the light cond itions
su rroundi ng the vehicle. If ambient bright­
ness fa lls below a factory set value (e .g. when
dr iv ing into a tu nnel), the head- and taill ights
i ncl uding the license plate illuminati on are
automat ica lly t urned on . When ambient
brightness i ncreases aga in, the exte rnal ligh ts
ar e turned off aga in
q &. . In the switch posi­
t ion
AUTO , the low beams are tur ned off when
t h e ign ition is swi tched o ff. Th e rem aining
li gh ts are turned off when the key is ta ke n out
of the ignition lock.
W it h a utomat ic head- and taill igh t con trol,
the h igh-be am fu nction is also ava ilable , bu t
with one rest ric t ion : If you have not sw itche d
the h igh beams back to low beams during a u­
tomat ic head light operat ion (for examp le, af­
ter driving through a tunnel), on ly the low
beams come on the next time automatic
headlig hts are switched on. To use the high
beams, yo u fi rst have to pull the h igh beam
lever back and then push the lever forwa rd
agam .
The side ma rke r lights a nd headlights ca n be
sw itc hed on manually by turn ing the light
swi tc h to the des ired pos ition .
Light sensor malfunction
If there is a light sensor ma lfunction, the
symbol
El comes on in the display . For safety
reasons, the low beams are tu rned on perma­
nently with t he sw itch in
AUTO . However , you
can con tinue to tu rn the lights on and off us­
in g t he light switch . Have t he ligh t sensor
c h eck ed as soon a s possib le a t an au thori zed
A udi dealer.
Coming home/leaving home function
The function is sw itched on w hen the sw itch is
i n the
AUTO pos ition and th e funct ion is liJJ,,

50 Clear vision
shown as active in the driver information
system.
The
coming home function illuminates the
area around the vehicle when the ignition is
switched off and the driver 's door is opened.
The length of time the lights rema in on can be
set in the menu display
(Lights> Exterior
lights > coming home) .
The leaving home function illuminates the
area around the vehicle when unlocking it.
.&_ WARNING
-Never use daytime running lights to see
where you are going. They are not bright enough and will not let you see far
enough ahead for safety, especially at dusk or when it is dark . Be aware of
changes in outside light conditions when
you are driving and respond by switching on your low beams.
- Automatic head- and taillight control is
only intended to assist the driver. This
feature does not relieve the driver of his
responsibility to check the headlights
and to turn them on manually according
to the current light and visibility condi­
tions. For example, fog and rain cannot
be detected by the light sensors. Conse­
quently, always switch the headlights on
under these weather conditions and
when driving in the dark .
- Crashes can happen when you cannot see
the road ahead and when you cannot be
seen by other motorists .
-Always turn on the headlights so that you can see ahead and so that others can see your car from the back.
- Please observe legal regulations when
using the lighting systems described .
@ Tips
-Always observe the specific local regula­
tions for your area when to use your lights .
- Turn on low beams as evening ap­
proaches or in conditions of poor visibili­
ty. -
Do not attach stickers to the windshield
in front of the sensors as this can disable
the automatic head- and taillight control
and the automatic glare-dimming of the
rearview mirror(s)*.
- If you remove the ignition from the igni­
tion lock while the headlights are still
on, a buzzer will sound as long as the
driver's door is open to remind you to
turn off the lights .
- In the AUTO mode, the low beams are
turned off when the ignition is turned
off . The remaining lights are turned off
when the key is taken out of the ignition.
- In cool or damp weather conditions the
headlights may fog over temporarily on
the inside .
- The critical factor is the temperature
difference between the interior and the
exterior of the headlight lens.
- With the main beams switched on, the
light-emitting area will be free of con­
densation after a short time , however
the edges of the glass may still be fog ­
ged .
- This physical phenomenon has no ef­
fect on the life of your vehicle's l ight­
ing system .
Emergency flasher
Fig. 61 Center console: em erge ncy flasher sw itc h
The emergency flasher makes other motorists
aware that you or your vehicle are in an emer­
gency situa tion.
... Press the switch ~
Q fig. 61 to switch the
emergency flasher on or off .
ll>

52 Clear vis ion
Interior lights
Interior lights
The interior lights include the reading lights
for the driver and the front passenger .
-
,-i.-,-,n--;)
"' "' "' 0
•
Fi g. 63 Section from headliner: I nterior l ights
Acti vating door contact circuit
• Press the button @. The LED in the button
i lluminates.
Deactivating door c ontact circu it
• Press the button @. The LED in the button
goes out .
Front re ad ing lights ~
• Press one of the switches @ to turn the
right or left reading light on/off.
With the door contact circuit, the interior lights turn on as soon as you unlock the vehi­
cle or open the doors. The interior lights are
also turned on when the ignition key is re­ moved. The lights turn off about 30 seconds
after the doors are closed . When the vehicle is
locked or when the ignit io n is tu rned on, the
inte rior lights a re turned off.
When a door is open, the interior lights are
turned off after about 10 m inutes to prevent
battery drain ing.
The brightness of the lights is controlled au­
tomatically by a dimmer when they are
switched on/off .
Instrument panel illumination
The illumination of the instruments, displays
and the center console can be adjusted .
Fig . 6 4 Instrument pa nel illuminat ion
You reg ulate the brightness of t he instr u­
ments with the left thumbwheel
c;~-~ fig . 64 .
A phototransisto r integrated into the instru­
ment cluster controls the illumina tion of the
need les in it. When the lights are switched on,
the lighting for the center conso le and the in­
struments (needles and dials) is automatically
adjusted to ambient conditions . The driver can
also adjust the brightness of the lighting.
Ignition ON, light switch at @
With the ign ition sw itched O N, the g low of in­
strument needles
can be adjusted to appear
brighter or dimmer.
Ignition ON, light switch at ;oo : or ~D.
With the lights switched o n, the br ightness of
instrumen t cluster ( i.e . need les, ga uges and
displays) and cen ter conso le illum inat ion can
be adjusted.
(D Note
The instrumen t cluster and cen ter conso le
ill umin ation (gauges and nee dles) comes
o n when yo u sw itch on the ignit io n and the
veh icle headlights are off . Be aware of the
fo llowing difference between models bui lt
to US or Canadian specifications:
- USA models: illumination of the instru­
ment cl uster (gauges and need les), dash
and center conso le around the gearshift .,.

-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 drive 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.
Mo ving w ipe r blade s to the service
position
.. When there is a r isk of frost, make s ure that
the wiper blades are no t frozen to the wind­
shield .
.. Switch the ignition on .
.. Move the w iper leve r to position
0
c::> page 53, fig. 66 .
.. Press the I RESE T I button unt il the Display
type
menu appears in the Driver Informa­
tion System display.
.. Using the rocker switc h and the
!R ESE T I but­
ton, select the
Set > Wiper s > Front > Serv ­
i ce posit io n on
function . The windsh ield
wiper arms move to the service pos ition.
Moving w ipe r blade s to park po siti on
.. Make certain that the w ipe r arms are ly ing
against the w indshie ld .
.. Switch the ignition on and move the wiper
lever from position
O to 4 c::> page 53 ,
fig.
66. The wiper arms will move back to
t h e park pos ition .
(D Note
Never drive your vehicle when the wind­
shie ld 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 automat ica lly re turn to
t he par k position and could ca use pa int
damage to the front lid! Clear
vi
sion 55
@ Tips
- Yo u can also turn on t he service posit ion,
for example, if yo u want to protect the
w indshield from icing by using a cover.
- Th e service posit ion moves to
off a uto­
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.
.-- --------..
Fig. 67 Unl atching w ipe r blade s
'
@
Fig. 6 8 Remov ing w iper b lades
Removing the wiper blade
.. Move the wipers to the service pos ition
c::> pageSS .
.. Fold the w indshie ld w iper arm away from
the glass .
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. 67.
.. Rotate the wiper b lade in the d irect ion of
the arrow @
c::> fig. 68 away from the wiper
arm .
.. Lift the wiper b lade off in the direction of
t he arrow @.

(D Note
Liquid electrolyte leaking from broken mir­
ror glass will damage any plastic surfaces
it comes in contact with. Clean up spilled
electrolyte immediately with clean water
and a sponge.
(D Tips
-Switching off the dimming function of
the inside rear view mirror also deacti­
vates the automatic dimming function of
the exterior mirrors .
- The automatic dimming mirrors do not
dim when the interior lighting is turned
on or the reverse gear is selected .
- Automatic dimming for the mirror only
operates properly if the sun shade* for
the rear window is not in use or the light
striking the inside mirror is not hindered
by other objects.
Exterior mirrors
N
"' ~ N
~
Fig. 70 Forwa rd sect ion of driver 's a rmr est: power mir­
ror co ntrols
Turn the knob to the desired position :
Q/ P -In this position , you can adjust the
driver's and front passenger's exterior mirrors
by turning the knob in the desired direction.
(jjjl - The mirrors are heated depending on the
outside temperature.
8 -The exterior mirrors fold in*.
You ar e well-advised to fold* the exterior mir­
ro rs in maneuve ring in tight spa ces or when
leaving the car pa rked close to other vehicles . Clear vision 5
7
(D Note
-Curved (i.e. convex) mirror surfaces in­
crease your field of view. Remember that
vehicles or other objects will appear
smaller and farther away than when
seen in a flat mirror . If you use this mir­
ror to estimate distances of following ve­
hicles when changing lanes, you could
estimate incorrectly and cause an acci­
dent .
- If the mirror housing is moved uninten­
tionally (for example, while parking your
vehicle), then you must first fold the mir­
ror electrically. Do not readjust the mir­
ror housing manually. You could damage
the motor which controls the mirror.
(D Tips
If there should be a malfunction in the
electrical system, you can still adjust the
exterior mirrors by pressing the edge of
the mirror.
Digital compass
Activating or deactivating the compass
The direction is displayed on the interior rear­
view mirror .
Fig. 71 Inside re arv iew mirror : digital compa ss a ctivat­
ed
.. To activate or deactivate, hold the @but­
ton down until the red display appears or
disappears .
The digital compass only works with the igni­
tion turned on . The directions are displayed as
initials:
N (North) , NE (Northeast), E (East), II>

58 Clear vis ion
SE (Southeast), S (South), SW (Southwest),
W (West), NW (Northwest).
(D Tips
To avo id ina ccurate directions, do not a l­
low any remote controls, electrical sys ­
tems, or metal parts close to t he mirror .
Setting the magnetic deflection zone
The correct magnetic deflection zone must be
set in order to display the directions correctly.
Fig . 72 Magne tic deflection zone boundaries
.. Hold the @button ~ page 57, fig . 71 down
until the number of the set magnetic deflec­
tion zone appears on the interior rear view
mirror .
.. Adjust the magnetic deflection zone by re­
peatedly pressing on the @button . The set
mode automatically deactivates after a few
seconds.
Calibrating the compass
The compass has to be recalibrated if the dis­
play is wrong or inaccurate .
.. Hold the@ button down until the letter C
is displayed on the inte rior rearv iew mirro r. ..
Drive in a circle at a speed o f abo ut 5 mph
(10 km/h) until a direction is shown on the
interior rearview mirror .
_& WARNING
--
The digital compass is to be used as a di­
rectional aid only. Even though you may
want to look at it while you are driving, you
must st ill pay atte ntion to traffic, road a nd
weather conditions as well as othe r possi­
b le hazards.

Transmission Manual transmission
Gearshift lever
App lies to vehicles: with manual transmission
The clutch pedal must be depressed all the
way before you can start the engine.
T he manual transmission in your Audi is
equipped with an
interlock-feature.
• Depress the clutch pedal all the way.
• Start the engine with the gearshift lever in
Neutral and the clutch pedal depressed.
(D Note
Always depress the clutch pedal fully when
changing gears . Do not hold the vehicle on
a hill with the clutch pedal partially de­
pressed. This may cause premature clutch
wear or damage .
@ Tips
- Resting your hand on the gearshift lever
knob while driving will cause premature
wear in the transmission.
- The back-up lights go on when you sh ift
into Reverse w ith the ignition on.
Gearshift pattern (6-speed manual
transmission)
Applies to vehicles: with 6-speed manual transmission
Fig. 86 Gearshift pattern : 6 -speed manual tran smi s­
sio n
Drive in 6th gear for optim um fuel economy
when cruising . However, if more acceleration
is required (when passing, for example), shift
down.
Transmission 77
Engaging reverse gear (R)
• Move the shift lever all the way to the left,
press it down, then push it backward.
Especially after driving forward, stop the vehi­
cle completely, sh ift into
Neutral and rest the
shift lever br iefly in Neutra l before shift ing in­
to
Reverse .
Launch Control Program
Applies to vehicles: with VlO eng ine and manual t ra ns·
miss ion
The Launch Control Program enables maxi­
mum acceleration .
Requirement: The engine must be at operat­
ing temperature and the steering wheel must
not be turned .
• With the engine running, press the button
Im one time. The ESC indicator light 1B in the
Driver Informat ion System display illumi­
nates and the message
ESP sport - Warn­
ing! Restricted stability
appears.
• Press the clutch and hold it down.
• Engage the first gear.
• Press the accelerator pedal all the way
down until the engine speed remains steady
at 6500 RPM .
• Release the clutch carefu lly <=> .& ..
A WARNING
- Always adapt your dr iving to the traffic
flow.
- Only use Launch Control when road and
traffic conditions allow it and other dr iv­
ers will not be endangered or annoyed by
your driving and the vehicle's accelera­
tion.
- Please note that the driving wheels can
spin and the vehicle can break away
when ESC is switched off, especially
when the road is slippery.
- Once you have accelerated, you sho uld
sw itch the ESC back on by pressing the
button
[fil .