charging AUDI R8 SPYDER 2012 Owners Manual

14 Instrum ent s and w arn ing /indic ato r light s
immediately by your authorized Audi
dealer or a qualified workshop. Dr ive
slowly and avoid sudden, hard brake ap­ plicat ion.
- Canada models: If both, the brake warn­
ing light . and the ABS warning light
Ii] come on at the same t ime, the rear
wheels could lock up first under hard braking. Lock-up of the rear wheel brakes
can cause loss of vehicle control and an
acc ident. Have you r vehicle repaired im­
med iately by your authorized Audi dealer
or a q ualified workshop. Drive slowly and
avoid sudden, hard brake application
- If the brake warning/indicator light does not go out after a few seconds and the
park ing brake re leased, or lights up while
you are driving, the fluid level in the brake flu id reservo ir is too low. If you be­
lieve that it is safe to do so, proceed im­
med iately at low speed to the nearest
authorized Audi dealer o r qualified work­
shop and have the bra ke system inspect­
ed.
- Always keep in m ind that afte r several
brake applicat ions, yo u will need g reater
pressure on the b rake peda l to s top your
vehicle. Do no t re ly on stra ined brakes to
respond with maxim um stopping power
in critical situations . You must allow for
increased brak ing distances. The extra
distance used up by fad ing brakes could
lead to an acc ident.
~ / ! .!r Safety systems
The I (USA models)/ . (Canada mode ls) in­
d icator light monitors the safety systems e.g.
a ir bags, pretensioners a nd illum inates for a
few seconds each time you switc h the ign ition
on.
If the
I (USA models)/ . (Canada models)
indicator light does not go out, or if it illumi­
nates w hile you are driv ing, or if it sta rts to
b link , then there is a ma lf u nction somewhere
in the system. If the light does not illuminate
when you switch on the ignition, this also
means there is a ma lfunction.
A WARNING
If you have a ma lfunction in the safety sys­
tems, contact your authorized Audi dea ler
i mmediately. Othe rwise the safety sys­
tems may not work properly in an acc i­
dent.
4 Safety belt warning light
App lies to veh icles : w ith safe ty belt warni ng l ig h t
The warning light is a reminder to fasten
safety belts .
The warning lig ht . comes on for a few sec­
onds after the ignition is sw itched on as a re ­
minder to fasten you r safety belt .
Additional informat ion on safety belts
r::> page 101.
D Generator '
This warning/indicator light detects a mal ­
function in the generator or in the vehicle 's
electrical system.
The . warning/indicator light i llum inates
when you switch on the ignition and must go
out after the eng ine has started.
If the . warning/indicator light illuminates
whi le you are driving, you sho uld contact your
authorized Aud i dea le r. Since the vehicle bat­
tery is discharging, you shou ld sw itch
off any
unnecessary electr ica l consumers (for exam ­
ple, the air conditioner) .
~ Engine oil pressure
The red engine oil pressure warning symbol
requires immediate service or repair .
If the . symbo l appears in the d isplay and
flashes, the o il pressure is too low . In add ition
to the symbol, the following message a lso ap­
pears in the display:
Switch off engine! Oil pre ssure is too low
.. Pull off the road and stop the vehicle.
.. Shut the engine down.
.. Check the engine oil leve l¢
page 174.

-For your safety, we strongly recommend
that you do not travel with a portable
fuel container in your vehicle. The con­
tainer, full or empty may leak and could
cause a fire , especially in a crash .
-If, under exceptional circumstances, you
must transport a portable fuel container,
please observe the following:
- Never fill a portable fuel container
while it is anywhere in or on the vehicle (for example, in the luggage compart­
ment, or on the trunk) . Static electrici­
t y can build up while filling and can ig­
nite fuel vapors causing a fire .
- Always place a portable fuel container
on the ground before filling .
- Always keep the filler nozzle complete­
ly inside the portable container before
and during filling.
- If filling a portable container made of
metal, the filler nozzle must always be
in contact with the container . This will
help prevent static electricity from dis­
charging and cause a fire.
- Never spill fuel inside the vehicle or
luggage compartment. Fuel vapors are
highly flammable.
- Always observe local and state/provin­
cial laws regarding the use, storage
and transportation of fuel containers
- Make certain the fuel container meets
industry standards (ANSI/ ASTM
F852-86).
(D Note
I f any fuel has spilled onto the car, it
should be removed immediately to prevent
damage to the paint.
@ For the sake of the environment
As soon as the correctly operated nozzle switches off automatically for the first
time, the tank is full. Do not try to add
more fuel because fuel may spill out. In
addition, the expansion space in the fuel
tank will be filled -causing the fuel to
Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank 167
overflow when it becomes warm and pol­
lute the environment.
a) Tips
- Running your engine while refueling may
cause vapors to escape or even fuel to
spill out of the tank. This would then
shut off the fuel nozzle before the tank
is full.
- Do not refuel your vehicle with the igni­
tion switched on. The fuel gauge may
otherwise not indicate the correct fuel
level after refueling .
Unlocking the fuel filler flap
by hand
You can open the fuel filler flap by hand if the
power locking sy stem should fail .
Fig. 135 En gin e compar tment: loo sening the fue l fill er
fl ap cab le
Fig. 136 Engine compar tment: re lea sing the fuel fille r
flap using the emer gen cy re le ase
You can release the fuel filler flap using a red
emergency release loop .
It is located in the
right side of the engine compartment.
.. Open the engine compartment lid.
.. Loosen the fuel filler flap cable from its
mount @ on the crossmember
~ fig. 135 . liJJ,,

180 Checking and filling
- Before reconnecting the battery, make
sure all electrical consumers are switch­ ed off. Reconnect the positive cable first
and then the negative cable. Never inter­
change the cables -th is could start a fire!
- Never charge a frozen or a thawed-out
battery . It could explode! If a battery has
frozen, then it must be rep laced. A dis­
charged battery can freeze over at 32 °F
(0 °C).
- Make su re the vent hose is always attach­
ed to the opening on the side of the bat­
t ery.
- Never use batteries which are damaged.
Dange r of explos ion! A lways rep lace a
damaged batte ry.
& WARNING
C alifornia Propos ition
65 Warning:
- Battery posts, te rm inals and related ac­
c essories cont ain le ad and lead com­
pounds, chemicals known to the State of
California to ca use cancer and re produc ­
t ive p roblems . Wash hands after han­
dling.
(D Note
- Do no t disconnect the vehi cle bat tery
when the ignition is switched on or when
t h e engine is running, otherwise, you will
damage e lectronic components in the
electrical system.
- If your vehicle is go ing to stand for a
l ong period of time witho ut being driven,
protect the battery from "free zing", ot h­
erwise it w ill be damaged and w ill then
have to be replaced . Charging the battery
Connec
tions for charging the battery are lo­
cated in the luggage compartment.
F ig . 14 5 Lugg age co mpar tment : ba ttery cove r
Fig. 146 Lu ggage co mpa rtm en t: c onn ecto rs fo r a
c h arger a nd ju mp start c ables
Do not connect the negative c able direct ly to
the negative terminal on the battery . Connect
it to a
jump sta rt p in instead c:, fig . 146 .
.,. Always read and heed a ll WARNINGS c;, .&.
in Working on the battery on page 179 and
¢ .&_ .
.,. Switch off the ignition and all electrical con­
sumers .
.,. Open the luggage compa rtment lid
c:> page37 .
.,. Remove the batte ry cove r c:, fig. 145.
.,. Connec t the terminal clamps from t he
charger to the batte ry te rminal (red = "posi­
tive") and the jump start pin
c:, fig . 146
(black or brown= "negative") as specified .
.,. On ly now plug the mains lead for the charg­
ing equ ipment into the wa ll outlet and turn
it on .
.,. When the battery is fully cha rged : Turn the
charg ing equipment off and remove the
ma ins lead from the wall out let .
.,. Now remove the cla mps fo r the ch arg ing
equ ipment.

~ Install the battery cover.
~ Close the luggage compartment lid
¢page 37.
When charging at low voltages (e.g . with a
trickle charger ), the battery cables do not
have to be disconnected first. Before charging
at
high voltages, i.e. "fast charging", you
must disconnect both cables. In either case,
follow the instructions from the manufacturer
of the charger .
Fastcharging a battery is
dangerous ¢ & in
Working on the battery on page 179 .
It re­
quires special charging equipment and the knowledge to go with it. We recommend hav ­
ing your battery fast charged only by a quali­
fied workshop.
A discharged battery can
freeze at tempera­
tures of only 32 °F (0 °C) . Allow a frozen bat ­
tery to thaw completely before attempting to
charge it¢ & . However, we recommend not
using a thawed battery again because the bat­
tery casing can be cracked due to ice forma ­
tion and can leak battery acid .
Do not open the battery caps when charging
the battery.
_& WARNING
-
Charging a battery can be dangerous.
- Never charge a frozen battery .
It may ex­
plode because of gas trapped in the ice.
Allow a frozen battery to thaw out first.
- Do not reuse batteries which were fro­
zen. The battery housing may have
cracked and weakened when the battery
froze.
- Charge the battery in a well ventilated
area. Keep away from open flame or elec­
trical spark. Do not smoke. Hydrogen gas
generated by the battery is explosive.
- To reduce the danger of explosion , never
connect or disconnect charger cables
while the charger is operating.
- Fast charging a battery is dangerous and
should only be attempted by a compe­
tent technician with the proper equip­ ment.
Checking and filling 181
- Battery acid that may spill during charg­
ing should be washed off with a solution
of warm water and baking soda to neu­
tralize the acid .
@ Note
Never use a fast charger as a booster to
start the engine. This will seriously dam­
age sensitive electronic components, such
as control units, relays, radio, etc ., as well
as the battery charger .
(D Tips
-The vehicle battery must not be charged
with a standard small charger that plugs
into the cigarette lighter or outlet .
- Only charge the battery through the con­
nections in the luggage compartment.
Replacing the battery
The new battery mus t have the same specifi­
cations as the old one.
Your vehicle is equipped with an intelligent
energy management system for distributing
electricity¢
page 147 . The battery charges
better in vehicles with the energy manage ­
ment system than in vehicles without the sys­
tem . To ensure that the additional power is
available after replacing the battery , replacing
with the same type of battery from the same manufacturer (like the battery that was deliv­
ered with the vehicle) is recommended. An au­
thorized dealer must code the battery in the
energy management control module.
The new battery must have the same capacity,
voltage (12 volts), current and design and it
must be sealed with plugs. The battery must
conform to the standards TL 825 06 (from
April 2008) and VW 7 SO 73 (from April 2010).
Since the vehicle battery is difficu lt to reach,
we recommend having the battery replaced by
an authori zed Audi RB dealer or other quali-
fied workshop . ..,. •
•