coolant AUDI R8 SPYDER 2012 Owners Manual

8 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 Overv iew of the inst rument cluster
(D Eng ine oil temperature . . . . . . . 8
@ Tachometer with time and date
display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9, 9
® Warning/indicator lights . . . . . 11
© Coolant temperature gauge . . . 9
® Fuel gauge........... .... .. 10
@ Speedometer w ith odometer . . 10
(i) Voltmeter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
@ Set/Check button . . . . . . . . . . . 9
® Driver information display . . . . 21
@ I RESET ! button for trip odome-
ter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
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 8,
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 operat ing tem­
perature yet . Avoid high engine speeds, full
throttle applicat ions 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 outs ide 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 o il level is too low
Q page 174 .
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 l ight comes on
again after driving a short distance, contact
an authorized Audi dea ler.

Instrument s and warning /indicator lights 9
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 before reaching this a rea in the
ga uge.
(D Note
The needle in the tachometer¢ page 8,
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.
Fig . 4 In stru ment cl us ter w ith th e dig ita l clock
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 right.
To set the minutes
• Pull the kno b 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 as many t imes as necessary
until the day, month o r year disp lay flashes.
• Turn t he knob to the left or right.
To hide or display the date
• Pull the knob as many t imes as necessary
until the date disp lay fla shes.
• Tur n the knob to the le ft or right .
Wh en th e date d isp lay s tops blin king, this
mea ns th e time and da te have been s uccess ­
fully s tored.
Wi th the ign it ion
off, push ing or pu lling the
Set/Che ck button ¢
page 8, fig. 3 @ can tu rn
o n the display field ligh ting for a few seco nds.
Engine coolant temperature gauge
The eng ine coolan t ga uge¢ page 8, fig. 3@
onl y works when the igni tion is on. To pr event
dama ge to you r engine, p lease note the fol ­
low ing important points.
Engine cold
A s long as the nee dle rem ains at the left end
of the gauge, the engine s till has no t reac hed
its operati ng tem perature. Avoid hig h en gine
s p eeds, heavy engine loads and heavy throt­
t le.
Normal temperature
When the engine h as reache d its ope ra ti ng
t emperature, the need le w ill move in to the
mid dle of the gauge and rema in there . If t he
engine is working hard at hig h outside tem­
peratures, the needle may turn f urther to the
right. This is no cause for concer n as long as
the . war ning light i n the inst rument cluste r
does not illuminate .
Warning l ight.
When the warning light . starts to flash,
th is can mean one of two things : either the
coolant
temperature is to o high, or the coo l­
ant
level is t oo low¢ page 15.
If the need le is well on the rig ht s ide of the
gauge, the co olant temperature is too high .

10 Instrum ents a nd warning /indic ato r li ghts
Stop the vehicl e, sw itch the engin e off and
allo w it to coo l.
If the warning light comes on
again after driving a short distance, contact
an authorized Audi dealer.
A WARNING
- Always observe the warning in
¢ page 169, Working in the engine
compartment
before open ing the engine
compartment lid and checking the en­
gine coo lant level.
- Never open the engine compartment lid
if you see or hear steam, or if you see en­
gine coo lant dr ipping from the eng ine
compar tment. You could bur n yourse lf.
Let the engine coo l
off first so that you
cannot hear or see any steam or engine
coolant.
CD Note
- Mounting additional lights or accesso ries
in front of the air inlets reduces the cool­
ing effect of the radiator . At high outside
temperatures or high engine load, the
engine could overheat .
- The front spoi ler has been designed to
properly distribute the cooling air when
the vehicle is moving. If the spoiler is
damaged, this could reduce the cooling
effect and the engine could then over­
heat . Ask your authorized Aud i dea ler for
ass istance.
Fuel gauge
The fuel ga uge works only when the ignition is
on. When the needle reaches the red area, the
warning light in the instrument cluster will i l­
luminate
c::> page 18 Ii}']. 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
Te chnic al d ata c::> page 217 .
CD Note
Never run the tank comple tely d ry! An ir­
regular supply of fue l 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 speedometer shows you the vehicle
speed, and the odometer shows you how
many miles (kilometers) you have driven.
F ig. 5 Speedomete r close-up: odometer display
The distance dr iven is shown in m iles (USA
models) or in kilometers (Canada mode ls) .
Lo wer odometer
The lower odometer shows the total number
of miles (kilometers) dr iven .
Upper odom ete r (trip odometer )
The upper odometer shows the total number
of miles (kilometers) driven since you last re­
set the odometer back to zero. You can use
this odometer when you want to keep track of
how many m iles (kilometers) you have driven
for a single tr ip or errand . The last dig it ind i­
cates 1/10 of a mile (100 meters) . You can set
the tr ip odometer back to zero by pressing the
I RESE T! button c::> fig. 5.
With the ign ition off, pushing of the Set/
Check button
¢ page 8, fig . 3 @ can turn on
the d isplay fie ld lighting for a few seconds .
Malfunction me ssag e
If there is a malfunct ion somewhere in the in­
strument cluster,
d EF w ill appear in the trip
odometer and w ill stay on . Contact your au ­
thorized Audi dealer to have the problem cor­ rected.

12 Instrum ent s and w arn ing /indic ato r light s
Safety belt
•
Check engine oil level
¢page 14
¢page 18
ii
Generator./
Engine oil sensor malfunction
¢page 14
¢page 18 '
D
Engine oil pressure too low
•
Battery voltage too h igh or too low
¢page 14
¢page 18
Engine coolant level too low/
II
Low fuel level
engine coolant temperature too
¢page 18
high¢ page 15
m
Windshield washer fluid level low
Yellow indicator lights ¢ page 18
Yellow symbols indicate a priority 2 ma lfunc-
~:)
Defective light bulb
tion -Warning!
¢page 18
11
Convertib le top ope ration
•
USA model s: Defective brake light
¢page 15
¢page 18
I]
Electronic Stability Control (ESC) ./
6
Canada models: Defective brake
¢page 16 light¢ page 18
-
I
Electronic Stab ility Control (ESC) ./
m
Light/rain sensor defe ctive (a utomat-
¢ page 16 ic headlights)* defective ¢ page 19
~ USA models: anti-lock brake system
(ABS) ./ defective ¢ page 16
B
Audi magnetic ride
¢page 19
•
Canada model s: anti-lock brake sys-
E
Rear spoiler./
tern (ABS)./ de fec tive ¢
page 16
¢page 19
•
Worn brake pads
~
USA model s: Speed warning 1
¢page 17
¢page29
g
Tire pressu re too low
•
Canada models : Speed warning 1
¢page 201
¢page29
I Tire pressure monitoring system
~
USA models: Speed warning 2 111115' 200
¢ page
¢page29
rm
Electronic power con trol ./
Canada models : Speed warning 2 ¢page 17
•
¢page29
B
USA models: Malfunction Indicator
Lamp (MIL)¢
page 17 Selector lever defective*
No reverse gear*
g
Canada models: Ma lfunction lndica-¢page 19
tor Lamp (MIL) ¢ page 17 ffl;O Clutch is overheating*
.,
Engine speed limitation* ¢page 19
¢page 17
R
Gearbox malfunction*
¢page 19

Instruments and warning/indicator lights 15
~ Cont act your a uth orized Audi dea ler fo r as -
s istance if necessary.
Engine oil level too low
If th e e ngine o il level is too low, to p off o il to
the prope r leve l
¢page 174 .
Engine oil level OK
If th e . symbol sta rts flas hing again even
though the engine oil leve l checks O K on the
d ipst ick ,
do not start driving again and do
not let the engine run at idle .
In stea d, con­
t a ct your author ized A udi de aler for assis­
tance.
@ Tips
- The engine oil pressure symbol. is
not an indicator for a low engine oil lev ­
el. Do not rely on it. Instead, check the
oil level in your engine at regular inter­
vals , preferably each time you refuel,
and always before going on a long trip.
- The yellow oil level warning indication
1/1 requires oil refill or workshop serv ­
ice without delay. Do not wait until the
red oil pressure warning symbol.
starts to flash before you respond to
the low oil level warning
Ill. By then,
your engine may already have suffered
serious damage.
-L Engine cooling system
A malfunction in th e engine cooling system
must b e re paired as so on as possibl e.
W hen th e . symbol in t he d isp lay flashes,
the n either the eng in e coolan t
temperature is
too h igh, or the coo lant
le vel is too low . In ad­
d ition to the symbol, the fo llowing message
al so a ppe ars i n the dis pla y:
Switch off engin e and check coolant level
~ Pull off the road and stop the vehicle.
~ Turn off t he e ngine.
~ Check coo lant level c> page 176.
~ Add coolant if necessa ry¢ page 177 .
~ Contin ue dr iving only after the eng ine cool­
an t war ning/ indica to r li ght goes o ut.
~ Contact yo ur autho rized A udi d eale r for as -
sistance if necessa ry .
If the engi ne coo lant level is correct, then t he
r adi ator fan may be the ca use of the mal func ­
tion .
If the ge nera tor war ning/ indica to r li ght
sho uld al so illum ina te
¢ page 14 , then the
f an bel t may be d amaged .
A WARNING
-If you r vehicle should brea k dow n for
mec hanical or other reaso ns, par k at a
safe distance fr om moving traffic, tu rn
off the eng ine and tu rn on the haza rd
warn ing lig hts ¢
page SO , Emergency
flash er.
-
- Never ope n the eng ine co mpartment lid
if y ou see or hea r steam o r co olant es­
cap ing from t he eng in e compar tment -
you ris k being sca lded . Wait until you can
no lon ger see o r hear steam o r coolant
esc ap ing .
- Th e engi ne co mpartm ent of a ny vehicle
i s a dange rous are a. B efo re you perf orm
an y w ork in t he engi ne c om par tm ent,
t ur n off the eng ine an d allow it to coo l.
F ollow t he war ning stickers
c> page 169,
W orking in the engine compartment .
(D Note
Do not con tinue dr iv in g if the . symbol
ill umina tes . The re is a mal func tion in the
engine c oo ling system -you could dama ge
your engine .
~ Convertible top operation
The indicator light tu rns or, f!4
-When the converti ble to p opens or closes or
- If t he conver tible to p d id no t open o r close
comp letely.
T he in dica tor light blinks if the co nvertib le top
can not open or close ¢
page 41.

Warm and cold Climate controls
Controls
W arm and cold 65
The climate controls automatically maintain the selected temperature in the vehicle interior
throughout each season .
Fig. 79 Climate contro ls
We recommend the following sett ing :
• Rotate the knob¢
fig. 79@ to the right to
switch on the air conditioning .
• Set the temperature to 72
°F (22 °().
• Press the !AUTO !¢ fig . 79 button .
Using the previously recommended setting is
the quickest way to achieve a comfortable cli ­
mate in the vehicle . Th is setting shou ld there­
fore only be changed when persona l comfort
l eve ls o r ce rtain circumstances requ ire it .
The climate controls are a combination of au ­
tomatic heating and ventilation systems and a
cooling system which dehum idifies and coo ls
the air inside the vehicle .
The climate controls automatically maintain a temperature once it has been set. The tem­
pe rat ure of the air from the v ents, fan speed
(air volume) and ai r distribu tion a re also auto ­
mat ica lly adjus ted . The system a lso takes into
account strong s unshine so that manua l ad ­
justment is not necessary . So in almost all
cases,
automatic mode offers the best cond i­
tions for the comfort of the occupants at all
times of the year ¢
page 68.
Please note:
In cooling mode, relative humidity in the inte­
r ior is reduced . This prevents the w indows
from fogg ing up . When outside temperatu res
ar e l ow (temperat ures below freezing), the air
cond it ion ing (compressor) switches off auto­
matically - a ir in the vehicle interior is not de­
humid ified.
When relative hum idity and tempera tures
outside are high,
c onden sate can drip from
t he a ir cond ition ing evaporator and form a
poo l of w at er unde r the ve hicle. This is normal
and not an ind ication of a leak!
When o uts ide temperatures are low, the fan
does not swi tch to a higher speed until the
coolant has reached an adequa te tempera­
tu re, wit h the exception of the defrost set­
ting.
When ac celera ting at w ide-open throttle, t he
air condi tioning compressor is temporar ily
swi tched off to ma intain full engine power .
In order to ensure engine coo ling under ex­
t reme engine lo ads , the compressor is switch­
ed off if coolant temperatures climb too hig h . ..,.

7 2 On the road
-The eng ine cann ot be started by pushing
or towing the vehicle.
@ For the sake of the env ironment
To avo id unnecessary engine wea r and to
red uce exhaust emissions, do not let your
vehicle stand and warm up . Be ready to
drive off immediately after starting 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 ign ition key to position ©
¢ page 70, fig. 82.
A WARNING
-Never turn off the eng ine unti l 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 stee ring or braking.
S ince you cannot steer and stop no rma l­
ly, this can lead t o acciden ts and ser io us
injuries.
- If the engine has bee n under heavy load
fo r an ext ended period of time, heat
builds up i n the engi ne compa rtme nt 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
sho rt time or drive until it has cooled
down before you turn it off¢
page 151.
- If the engine has been under heavy load
for an extended pe riod of time, it can be­
come extreme ly hot. You should not park
your vehicle over easily combustible ob­
j ects o r areas (e.g. g rass or leaves). There
i s a r isk of start ing a f ire.
(D Tips
After the engine has been switched off, the
radiator fan can continue to run for up to
10 minutes -even with the ignition switch­
ed off. It can also sw itch on again after
some time if the coolant tempe rature rises
as the result of heat b uild up or if the en­
g ine compartment is heated by the sun 's
r ays and the eng ine is hot.
Parking brake
Parking brake
When the parking brake is set, it prevents the
vehicle from rolling away unintentionally .
Fig. 83 Center console: Pa rk in g brake set
Setting the parking brake
.,. Pull the parking brake lever a ll the way up.
Releasing the park ing brake
.,. Pull the pa rking brake lever up slight ly and
press the release button at the same time
¢ fig . 83 -arrow- .
.,. Keep the release button pressed and lower
the parking brake¢&_.
If you s hou ld drive off with the parking b rake
st ill set, a warning tone will sound and the
following message wi ll appear in the instru­
ment cluster to remind you to release the
parking brake:
Parking brake is applied
T he p arking brake war ning comes on only af­
ter yo u have dr iven for longer than 3 seconds
and faster than 3 mph (5 km/h) . .,.

Checking and filling Engine compartment
lid
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 different fluids, there is a risk
of injury, burns and accidents. To prevent per­
sonal injury always observe the following
WARNINGS. The engine compartment of any
vehicle is a ha zardous area!
¢ &. .
_&. WARNING
To help avoid injury, before you check any­
thing under the engine compartment lid:
- Switch off the engine.
- Remove the ignition key.
- Apply the parking brake.
- Move selector lever of R tronic to "N"
(Neutral); put manual transmission in
Neutral.
- Always let the engine cool down. Hot
components will burn skin on contact.
- To reduce the risk of being burned, never
open the engine compartment lid if you
see or hear steam or coolant escaping
from the engine compartment. Wait un­
til no steam or coolant can be seen or heard before carefully opening the en­
gine compartment lid.
- Keep children away from the engine com­
partment .
- Never spill fluids on hot engine compo­
nents. They can cause a fire.
- Never open the coolant reservoir cap
when the engine is still warm. The cool­
ant system is pressurized and hot cool­
ant could spray out .
- Protect your face, hands and arm from
steam or hot engine coolant by placing a
thick rag over the cap when you open the
coolant reservoir .
Checking and filling 169
-If work on the fuel system or the electri­
cal system is necessary:
- Always disconnect the battery.
- Never smoke or work near heaters or open flames . Fluids in the engine com­
partment could start a fire.
- Keep an approved fire extinguisher im­
mediately available .
- To avoid electrical shock and personal in ­
jury while the engine is running or being started, never touch:
- Ignition cables
- Other components of the high voltage
electronic ignition system.
- If you must perform a check or repair
with the engine running:
- First, fully apply the parking brake,
move selector lever of R tronic to "N"
(Neutral); put manual transmission in
Neutral.
- Always use extreme caution to prevent clothing, jewelry, or long hair from get­
ting caught in the radiator fan, V-belts
or other moving parts, or from contact­
ing hot parts. Tie back hair before
starting, and wear no clothing that will
hang or droop into the engine.
- Minimize exposure to emission and
chemical hazards¢& .
A WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
- Engine exhaust, some of its constituents,
and certain vehicle components contain
or emit chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and birth de­
fects and reproductive harm. In addition,
certain fluids contained in vehicles and
certain products of component wear con­
tain or emit chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm.
- Battery posts, terminals and related ac­
cessories contain lead and lead com­
pounds, chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and reproduc­
tive harms. Wash hands after handling.
•
•

1 7 0 Che cking and filling
(D Note
When adding fluids, a lways make sure that
they are poured into the proper container or filler opening, otherwise serious dam­
age to veh icle systems will occur.
@ For the sake of the environment
To detect leaks in time, inspect the vehicle
floor pan from underneath regu larly . If
you see spots from oil or other vehicle flu­ ids, have your vehicle inspected by an au­
thorized Audi dealer.
Releasing the engine compartment lid
The engine compartment lid is released from
inside the vehicle .
Fig. 137 Driver's side: releasing t he engine co mpart ­
ment lid
Requirement : The ignition must be switched
on.
... Make sure the rear spoiler is retracted
¢page 144 .
... Pull the button @. The eng ine compart­
ment lid opens slightly .
... Open the engine compartment lid
c> ,& .
A WARNING
-
Hot engine coo lant can burn you . To re­
duce the risk of being bu rned, never open
the engine compartment lid if yo u see or
hear steam or coolant escaping from the
eng ine compartment. Wait until no steam
or coolant can be seen or heard before
carefully opening the engine compartment
lid.
(D Note
To prevent damage to the vehicle, on ly
open the engine compartment lid when
the convert ible top storage bay lid is
closed.
(D Tips
An emergency re lease can be used if the
engine compartment lid cannot be re­
leased with the button
® ¢ page 171.
Closing the engine compartment lid
... Make sure that the rear spoiler is retracted
Qpage 144.
.,. Pull the eng ine compartment lid down unti l
the pressure from the struts is reduced .
... Press the engine compartment lid closed
Q&. .
A WARNING
A engine compartment lid that is not com­
plete ly latched could fly up and b lock your
view wh ile driving.
- When you close the engine compartment
lid, check it to make sure the safety catch
has properly engaged. The engine com­
partment lid should be flush with the
surrounding vehicle body parts.
- If you notice while driving that the en­
gine compartment lid is not secured
properly, stop at once and close it.

Engine compartment lid emergency
release
The emergency release loop is located under
the right trim panel near the front passenger
seat.
F ig . 138 Front pas se n ge r footwe ll: emer gen cy re lease
l oo p
Engine compartment
Checkin g and fillin g 171
.. Make su re the rear spoiler is retracted
¢ page 144 .
.. Pull the loop forward to release the engine
compartment lid . The engine compartment
lid opens sligh tly.
.. Open the engine compartment lid¢.&.
in
Releasing the engine compartment lid on
page 170.
(D Note
To prevent damage to the vehicle, only
open the eng ine compartment lid when
the convertible top storage bay lid is
closed .
Th es e ar e th e most important it ems that you can ch eck.
Fig. 139 Ty pical layout for containers , en gin e oil dipst ick and eng ine o il filler cap
(D Power steering fluid reservoir
(@) ... .. .... .... ... ...... .
@ Eng ine oi l filler cap ('l=r.) .. ...
® Engin e oi l dipstick
146
174
174
A WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS ¢.&. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 169 .
-
{!) Tips
The coolant expansion tank is located un­
der the convertible top storage bay lid
¢ page 177.