engine AUDI R8 SPYDER 2014 Owner's Manual

38 Convertible top
To p revent dama ge to the c onvertible top:
- do not store any objects in the converti­
ble top storage bay .
- make sure there is enough spa ce above
the vehicle when opening or closing the
convertible top.
@ Tips
- When the indicato r lamp N blinks,
the re is a system malfunc tion ¢
page 15 .
-The one- touch openi ng f unction is not
available when the vehicle is traveling
below 4 mph (6 km/h) or above 31 mp h
(SO km/ h). If this is the case, a warning
tone w ill sound and a message will ap­
pear in the instrument cluster
¢ page 38.
Error message in the instrument cluster
display
An error message appears
if the convertible
top cannot open or close .
Several conditions must be met for the con­
vertible top to ope n or close automatically .
An error message in the inst rument cluster
d isp lay ind icates if one of the condit ions is not
met or there is a malfunction.
Soft top : Please clo se engine lid!
The engine compar tment lid mus t 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 u sed!
This error message appears if the convertib le
top cannot open or close because of safety
reasons or if there is a ma lfunct ion. The fol­
low ing causes are possible:
- The veh icle i s tra veling too fast : Converti­
ble top operation is deactivated for safety
reasons if the veh icle is t raveling too fast. A
message w ill appear . Reduce the vehicle speed and pu
ll or press the sw itch again to
open or close the convertible top.
- The battery voltage i s too low: The conver­
tible top cannot open or close if the battery
voltage is too low. This ens ures the re 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.
- Overload protect ion i s active: Operating the
convert ible top continuously for a long peri­
od of time p laces stress on the hydraulic
un it . Overload protect io n is act ivated to pre­
vent damage to the syst em . This protective
fu nction preve nts the convertible top from
open ing or clo se fo r approximate ly 15 to 30
m inu tes.
It will funct ion aga in a fter tha t
q &. .
-Malfunction: Failure of sys tem components
is one possib le cause fo r malfunction . If this
happens, you can a lso operate the converti­
b le top by hand
¢ page 40 .
- The exte rior temperature i s too low:
The
convertible top will not open in tempera­
tures below (5 °F) (-15 QC) .
Soft top not secure
If the co nve rtib le top is not compl etel y open
o r closed and the vehicle is t raveling too fast,
the e rror message above appears and a warn ­
ing tone sounds. Reduce the vehicle speed
and pull or press the switch again to open or close the convert ible top.
A WARNING ..__
Neve r drive when the convertible top is not
l ocked correctly . The wind from driving
could cause the co nvertib le top to open.
This can resu lt in i njuries and damage to
the veh icle.

Step 1: Retract the rear window
Fig. 37 Upper storage compartment: removing the
cover
Fig. 38 Upper storage compartment: using the Allen
wrenc h as a crank to lower the rear window
~ 0 N ... a,
,__ ,-. M C)
"' ... a,
The rear window must be retracted in order to
close the convertible top. If the rear window
switch is not functioning ¢
page 39, the rear
window can be cranked .
.. Open the upper storage compartment be­
tween the seat backrests ¢
page 61 .
.. Remove the cover using the screwdriver
from the vehicle tool kit¢
fig. 37 .
.. Press the Allen wrench from the veh icle tool
k it firmly into the opening until it cl icks into
place¢
fig. 38.
.. Turn the bolt clockw ise until the rear win­
dow is lowered.
Step 2: Release the pressure in the
hydraulic system
The pressure in the hydraulic system must be
released before the convertible top can be
closed.
.. Switch the ignition
off.
.. Pull or press the convertible top switch
¢page 37, fig. 32 for approximately 10 sec­
onds.
Convertible top 41
A WARNING
If convertible top operat ion fa ils when
opening or closing the top, do not hold or
touch the supports or other moving parts
when releasing the pressure. The converti­ ble top will sink down and could pinch your
hands.
Step 3: Open the convertible top storage
bay lid
Fig. 39 Engine compartment: install ing the emergency
operation bolts
Fig. 40 Raising t he storage bay lid and pulling it back
The engine compartment lid must be released
using the emergency procedure in order to re­
lease the storage bay lid
¢page 172 .
Releasing the convertible top storage bay
lid
.. Turn the emergency operation bolts on the
left and right sides of the engine compart­
ment¢
fig. 39 clockwise using the open end
wrench from the vehicle too l kit until the
bolts are installed completely . The converti­
ble top storage bay lid will raise approxi­
mately 0.4 in (1 cm) from the vehicle when
the bolts are insta lled comp letely.
.. Close the engine compartment lid
¢page 174.

42 Convertible top
Opening the conv ertible top stor age bay
lid
• From the r ear of the vehicle, r each into the
center ventilation slot in the sto rage bay lid
wi th both hands and raise the lid approxi­
mately 12 in (30 cm).
• Hold the storage bay lid in this posit ion and
pull it toward you until it stops ¢
fig. 40.
A WARNING
When working in the engine compart­
ment:
- T urn the engine off.
- Act ivate the park ing brake.
-
- In vehicles with a manua l transm iss ion,
move the sh ifter lever into idle . In
vehicles with the R tronic transmission,
move the se lector lever into the N pos i­
t ion.
- Remove the ignit ion key .
- Let the engine cool down .
- Keep children away from the engine com-
partment.
(D Note
To prevent damage to the vehicle, only
open the convertible top storage bay lid
when the engine compartment lid is
closed.
Step 4: Remove the covers
Fi g. 41 Conv ertib le top : cov ers ma rk e d
Fig. 42 Co nver tible top storage bay lid: r em ov ing t he
c o ver
T he following steps mus t be performed on
both sides of the vehicle .
• Remove the bo lt in the cover on the bo ttom
side of the sto rage bay lid using the open
e nd w rench from the vehicle too l kit
(D
¢ fig . 42.
• Move the cover up and down carefully until
it can be pulled downwa rd from the teeth
@ .
Step 5: Lift the convertible top out
Fig. 4 3 Conve rtib le to p sto rage bay: liftin g th e c onve r­
tible top o ut
Fig . 44 Wind shi eld fr ame: p res sing the c onvert ible top
fo rwa rd
• Ho ld the conve rtib le top at the@ point (ar ­
row)
r:!;> fig. 43 and raise it carefu lly ¢ A . .,..

is switched back on by moving the wind­
shield wiper lever to any position.
- Worn or dirty windshield wiper blades
cause smearing, which can affect the op­
eration of the light/rain sensor*. Check
the condition of your windshield wiper
blades regularly.
- The rain sensor is part of the interval
wiping system. Turning off the ignition
will also deactivate the rain sensor. To re­
activate the sensor, switch off the inter­
val wiping function, then switch it back
on again.
- Applies to vehicles with light/rain sen­
sor: When the wipers are switched on
manually and in rain conditions, the au­
tomatic headlights* turn on
c;> page 46,
Lights or off during the day when the
wipers are no longer operating. The au­
tomatic headlights* function is available
in this case only when the light switch is
in the "AUTO" position
c;> page 46,
fig. 52.
-Make sure the washer fluid reservoir in
the engine compartment is topped off
before going on a long trip. Look up
c;> page 188 for checking and filling the
washer container.
- The wipers only operate with the hood
completely closed.
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 completely closed.
Moving wiper blades to the service
position
.,. When there is a risk of frost, make sure that
the wiper blades are not frozen to the wind­
shield .
.,. Switch the ignition on .
.,. Move the wiper lever to position
0
c;>page 51, fig. 60 .
Clear vision 53
.,. Press the I RESET ! button until the Display
type
menu appears in the Driver Informa­
tion System display.
.,. Using the rocker switch and the
I RESET ! but­
ton, select the
Set > Wipers > Front> Serv­
ice position on
function. The windshield
wiper arms move to the service position.
Moving wiper blades to park position
.,. Make certain that the wiper arms are lying
against the windshield.
.,. Switch the ignition on and move the wiper
lever from position
O to 4 c;> page 51,
fig . 60. The wiper arms will move back to
the park position.
(D Note
Never drive your vehicle when the wind­
shield wiper arms are in the service posi­
tion and pulled away from the windshield.
When you drive faster than 4 mph (6 km/
h), the wiper arms automatically return to
the park position and could cause paint
damage to the front lid!
(D Tips
-You can also turn on the service position,
for example, if you want to protect the
windshield from icing by using a cover.
- The service position moves to
off auto­
matically when you operate the wind­
shield wiper lever, or speed exceeds
4 mph (6 km/h).
Cleaning windshield wiper blades
Clean the windshield wiper blades when they
begin to leave streaks .
.,. Place the windshield wiper arms in the serv­
ice position. Refer to
c;> page 53.
.,. Use a soft cloth and glass cleaner to clean
the windshield wiper blades.
A WARNING
Dirty windshield wiper blades can impair
your view. This can lead to accidents.

Warm and cold Climate controls
Controls
W arm and cold 63
The climate controls automatically maintain the selected temperature in the vehicle interior
throughout each season .
Fig. 71 Climate contro ls
We recommend the following sett ing :
• Rotate the knob
c::> fig. 71 @ to the right to
switch on the air conditioning .
• Set the temperature to 72 °F (22 °() .
• Press the
!AUTO I c::> fig . 71 button .
Using the previously recommended setting is
the quickest way to achieve a comfortable cli ­
mate in the vehicle . Th is setting should there­
fore only be changed when persona l comfort
l eve ls o r certain circumstances requ ire it .
The climate controls are a combination of au ­
tomatic heating and ventilation systems and a
coo ling 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 tem­pe rat ure of the air from the v ents, fan speed
(air vo lume) and ai r distribu tion are also auto ­
mat ica lly adjusted . The system also takes into
account strong sunshine 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
c::> page 66 .
Plea se note:
In cooling mode, relative humidity in the inte­
rior is reduced . This prevents the w indows
from fogg ing up .
When relative hum idity and temperatures
outside are high,
condensation can drip from
the a ir cond ition ing evaporato r and form a
poo l of water under the veh icle. This is normal
and not an ind ication of a leak!
When outside temperatures are low, the fan
does not switch to a higher speed until the coolant has reached an adequate tempera ­
tu re , with the exception of the defrost set­
t ing.
When accelerating at wide-open throttle, the
air condit ioning compressor is temporar ily
switched off to maintain full engine power.
In order to ensure engine cooling under ex­
treme engine loads, the compressor is switch­
ed off if coolant temperatures cl imb too high .
Funct ions are set by turn ing the rotary knob
or switched o n and off by tapp ing the buttons.
1111-

66 Warm and cold
Defrost~
The w indshi eld and sid e windo ws ore defrost ­
e d or clear ed o f cond ensation as quickly as
possibl e.
• To turn on t he defogger/defroster , press t he
~ button <=> page 63, fig . 71 .
• To turn the d efogger/d efroste r off, press the
~ button again, o r th e IA UT OI butto n.
Temperatu re is co ntrolled automatically . The
maximum a mou nt of air flows ma in ly fr om
ve nts 1 <=>
pag e 65.
A sma ll amount of ai r flows from vents 2 - if
they are open <=>
page 65.
Pressing the ~ button switches off recircu la­
ti on mode.
Automatic operation ~
Standard operating mode at all times of the
year .
Turning on automatic operation
• Set t he te mp erature you w ant.
• Press the
!AUTO ! button <=> page 63, fig. 71 .
Automatic opera tion e nsur es constant tem­
pe ra tur es in the i nterio r a nd dehum idifies the
a ir i nside t he vehi cle. Ai r tem perature, vo l­
ume, and dist ribution are controlled a utomat ­
ica lly to reach o r maintain the desired interio r
temperature as q uic kly as possib le. Fluct ua­
ti ons in exterior temperature and the effects
of temperatu re from the position of the sun
are compensated fo r automat ica lly.
Manual air recirculation mode~
The recirculation mod e prevents polluted out­
side air from entering the vehicle interior.
Switching on air recir culation
• Press the button I;]<=> page 63, fig. 71,
<=>A .
Switching off air recirculation
• Pres s the button ~ again , o r
• Press the
!AU TO ! bu tton, or •
Press the~ button .
In recir culation mode, air is drawn from t he
vehicle interi or, filtered, and re circula ted . We
re commend that yo u se lec t rec irculat io n
mode
briefly <=>.&. under the fo llowing condi­
t ions:
When driving thro ugh a tunne l or in a t raff ic
jam so that exha ust fumes and odors canno t
enter the vehicle inte rior.
A WARNING
You sho uld not use the recirculation m ode
for an extended period s ince no fresh air is
drawn in, and with the air co ndit ioning
switched off t he windows can fog up - t his
i nc reases the r is k of an accident!
A/C operation ~
Switching on A/C
• Press the IA/Cl button <=> page 63 , fig . 71 .
Switching A /C off
• Press the IA/Cl button again.
T he cooli ng sys tem is swi tched on d uring A/C
opera tion -the heat ing and ven tilat ion sys tem
is contro lled automatically.
@ Tips
If th e L ED in the sw itch stays o n aft er A/C
opera tion has been switched off( = sw itch ­
i ng the A/C off) , there is a fault i n an air
conditioning component. P lease cons ult
an a uthorized Audi dealer when there is an
operating problem.
Using the climate controls economically
E conomical use of the climate controls helps
to save fuel.
When climate control is wo rking in cooling
mode, engine pe rformance is reduced and
f uel consumpt ion is affected. To keep the time
the a ir cond ition ing is on as short as poss ible,
you should do the following: .,,_

~ If you would like to save fuel, switch the air
conditio ning off.
~ If you open the w indows wh ile driving,
switch the air conditioning off.
~ If the vehicle is extremely hot due to the
heat of the sun, briefly open doo rs and win­
dows .
@ For the sake of the environment
When you save fuel, you reduce em iss ions
from the vehicle.
Rear window defogger
The rear window defogger clears the rear win­
dow of cond ensation .
~ Press the~ button ¢ page 63, fig . 71 to
turn the rear window defogge r on and off.
The rear w indow defogger works only when
the engine is ru nning. The indicator light in
the button illuminates when the rear w indow
defogger is tu rned on .
The window between the cockpit and engine
compa rtment is also cleared with the rear
w indow .
The rear w indow defogger is switched
off au­
tomatically after approx. 10 minutes.
@ For the sake of the environment
As soon as the rea r win dow is clear, yo u
should switch the rear window defogger
off . The reduced power cons umption has a
be neficial effect on fuel consumption.
Heated seats
App lies to vehicles: with heated seats
The seat cushion and the seatback of the
front seats can be heated electrically.
~ Press the heated seats b utton I-J + I
c:> page 63, fig. 71 to set the level of heati ng
desired.
The range of controls goes from 1 to 3. The
heat sett ing selected is shown by LEDs above
the button.
Warm and c old 67
A WARNING
Individuals wit h reduced sensitivity to pai n
or temperature cou ld deve lop bur ns when
us ing the seat heat ing funct ion. To red uce
the r is k of injury, these ind ividuals should
not use seat heating.
Q) Note
To avoid damage to the heat ing e lements
i n the seats, do not kneel o n the sea ts or
p lace heavy loads o n a small area of the
seat.

68 On th e road
On the road
Steering
Adjusting the steering wheel column
The steering wheel position can be continu­
ously adjusted in height and distance .
Fig. 73 Lever under the steering column
~ Push the lever Q fig. 73 down Q ,&..
~ Move the steer ing whee l to the desired posi ­
tion.
~ Push the lever against the steering column
until it locks.
There must be at least 10 inches (25 cm) be­
tween your chest and the center of the steer­ ing wheel. If you cannot sit more than 10 in­
ches (25 cm) from the steering wheel, see if
adaptive equipment is available to help you
reach the pedals and increase the distance
from the steer ing wheel.
For detai led informat ion on how to adjust the
driver's seat, see
Q page 58.
A WARNING
Improper use of steering wheel adjust­
ment and improper seating position can
cause serious personal injury .
- Adjust the steer ing wheel column only
when the veh icle is not moving to pre­
vent loss of veh icle cont rol.
-
- Adjust the driver's seat or steering wheel
so that there is a min imum of 10 inches
(25 cm) between your chest and the
steering wheel
Q page 94, fig . 102. If
yo u can not maintain this min imum dis­
tance, the airbag system cannot protect
you properly.
- If physical limitations prevent you from
sitt ing 10 inches (25 cm) or more from
the steering wheel, check with your au­
thorized Audi dealer to see if adaptive equ ipment is ava ilable .
- If the steering wheel is aligned with your
face, the supplemental driver's airbag cannot provide as much protection in an
accident. Always make sure that the
steer ing whee l is aligned with your
chest.
- Always hold the steering wheel w ith your
hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock posi­
tions to reduce the risk of persona l injury
if the driver's airbag dep loys .
- Never ho ld the steering wheel at the 12
o'clock position or with your hands inside
the steering wheel rim or on the steering
wheel hub . Holding the steering wheel
the wrong way can cause serious injuries
to the hands, arms and head if the driv­
er's airbag deploys.
Ignition lock/Ignition
switch
Ignition lock
The ignition key starts or stops the engine.
Fig . 7 4 Ign ition lock positions
Igniti on off @
In position Q fig. 74 @ both the ignition and
engine are off, and the steering is locked .
T o
lo ck th e steering after yo u have removed
the ignition key, turn the steer ing whee l in ei­
ther direction unti l you hear it lock into place .
You should always lock the steering whenever
II>

you leave your vehicle. This makes vehicle
theft even more difficu lt
r=:, .&. .
Ign ition on @
After switch ing the ignition on, the needles
move all the way up and then down.
If it is difficult to turn the key after you have inserted it into the ignit ion lock, turn the
steer ing whee l back and forth. This will take
the load
off the steering lock mechan ism and
you will be able to turn the key freely and start the engine .
Starting the engine @
In th is position the engine starts. While the
engine is start ing, the power supply to the
headlights and other e lectr ica l cons umers is
temporari ly inter rupted to conserve battery
power. After the engine has started, release
the key and it will return to position @.
Before the starter can be operated again the
key must be turned back to position
(D . The
non-repeat lock prevents you from damaging
the starter when the engine is running.
A WARNING
- Never remove the key from the ign ition
lock while the vehicle is moving. The
steering wheel will lock causing loss of
control.
- If you have to leave your veh icle - even
for just a m inute - a lways remove the ig­
nition key and take it with you. This is es­
pecially important if you a re going to
leave ch ildren behind i n the vehicle. The
children co uld s tart the engine or use
other vehicle controls . Unsupervised use
of vehicle controls (for example, power
windows) can cause serious personal in­
juries.
@ Tips
I f the veh icle bat tery has been d isconnect­
ed and then reconnected, then you must
leave the key in pos ition @for abo ut 5
seconds before you can start the engine.
-
On th e ro ad 69
Starting and stopping
the engine
Starting the engine
The engine can only be started with your orig­
inal Audi key.
On vehicles with S tron ic*, the e ngine can be
sta rted in the neut ra l position N and in each
gear (1 - 7 a nd R).
" Set the park ing brake
r=:, & .
"On veh icles with manual transmiss ion*, fully
dep ress the clutch peda l.
" Press and hold the brake peda l.
" Tur n the igni tion key to pos it ion @
r=:> page 68, fig . 74 -do not depress the gas
peda l when sta rting the engine .
... Let go of the key as soon as the engine
starts - the starter m ust not cont inue to
run. On vehicles w ith S tronic, select gear
position N.
A cold engine may at first be loud after it has
been started. This is due to the hydraulic
valves bu ild ing up the oil p ressure . Th is is nor­
mal and no need for concern .
If the engine does not start immediately, stop
trying after 10 seconds and then try to restart
the engine about 30 seconds later .
A WARNING
- Never start or let the engine run in a con­
fined or enclosed area. Exhaust fumes
from the eng ine contain carbon mono x­
ide, a co lor less and odorles s gas. Carbon
monox ide can be fata l if inh aled.
- Never leave the engine id ling una ttend­
ed. An unat tended ve hicle with a runn ing
engine poses a danger of personal injury
or theft .
- With the engine r unning and a gear en ­
gaged, you have to hold the veh icle w ith
the foot bra ke.

70 On the road
(D Note
-Avoid hig h engine speeds, fast accelera­
tion or heavy engine loads while the en­
gine is still cold. Th is could damage the
engine.
- The engine cannot be started by pushing or towing the vehicle.
@) For the sake of the environment
To avoid unnecessary engine wear and to
reduce exhaust emissions, do not let your
veh icle stand and warm up. Be ready to
drive off immediately after starting your
veh icle.
Stopping the engine
On vehicles w ith S tronic*, the engine can be
turned off in the neutral position N and in
each gear (1 -7 and R).
~ Turn the ign ition key to position ©
r:::>page 68, fig . 74 .
_& WARNING
- Never turn off the engine until the vehi­
cle has come to a complete stop.
- Th e brake booster and servotronic on ly
work when the engine is running. With
the ignition turned off, you have to apply
more force when steering or braking .
Since you cannot steer and stop norma l­
ly, this can lead to accidents and serious
injuries.
(D Note
- If the engine has been under heavy load
for an extended period of time, heat
builds up in the engine compartment af­
ter the engine is switched off -there is a
risk of damaging the engine. Allow the
engine to continue to run at idle for a
short time or drive until it has cooled
down before you turn it off¢
page 75.
- If the engine has been under heavy load
for an extended period of time, it can be­
come extremely hot. You should not park your vehicle over easily combustib
le ob ­
jects or areas (e .g. grass or leaves). There
is a risk of starting a fire.
(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 temperature rises
as the result of heat buildup or if the en­
gine compartment is heated by the sun's
rays and the engine is hot.
Parking brake
Parking brake
When the parking brake is set, it prevents the
vehicle from rolling away unintentionally
Fig. 75 Center co nsole : Parking brake set
Sett ing the parking brake
~ Pull the parking brake lever all the way up.
Releasing the parking brake
~ Pull the parking brake lever up slight ly and
press the release button at the same time
r:::>fig. 75-arrow- .
~ Keep the release button pressed and lower
the park ing brake ¢,& .
If you shou ld drive off with the parking brake
still set, a warning tone will sound and the
following message will appear in the instru­
ment cluster to remind you to release the
parking brake:
Handbrake is applied