cooling AUDI R8 SPYDER 2014 Owners Manual

Monitoring the Advanced Airbag
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Knee airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Side airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Child Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Important things to know . . . . . . . . . . 132
C hild safety seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Installing a child safety seat . . . . . . . . 140
Additional Information . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Vehicle operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Intelligent technology . . . . . . . . 144
Notice about data recorded by vehicle
control modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
E lect ronic Stabilization Control (ES C) . 144
B raking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Rear spoiler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Power steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Dry sump lub rication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Driving with your quattro ® . . . . . . . . . 149
Energy management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Driving and environment . . . . . 153
Break- in period . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Avoid damaging the vehicle . . . . . . . . . 153
Driving through water on roads . . . . . 153
Catalytic converter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Shutting down veh icle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Operation and maintenance . . . . . . . . 154
Trailer towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Vehicle care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Cleaning and protection . . . . . . 156
General information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Care of exterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Care of interior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Fuel supply and filling your
fuel tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
167
Gasoline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Fuel tank. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Checking and filling . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Eng ine compartment lid . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Eng ine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Eng ine cooling system . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Table of contents 3
Battery ... .. .... ... .. .......... . 184
Windshield washer container
188
•
•
Tires and wheels ........... .. . 189
Tires ..... .. .... ... .. .......... .
189
Tire pressure monitoring system
206
Do-it-yourself service ........ . 210
What do I do now? ........... . 210
Tr unk escape handle ........... .. .
210
Vehicle tool kit . .. ............... .
210
Tire repair . .. .. .. ............... .
210
What should I be aware of when
h . t· 7 c
anging a rre . . .. .............. . 214
Jump-starting .. .. ... .. .. ... ..... . 217
Em ergency towing with commercial
tow truck ... .. .. .. . ............ . 219
Fuse s and bulbs ... ........... . 221
El ectr ical fuses . .. ............... . 221
Bulbs ..... .. .. .. .. .. ........... . 222
Technical data ..... ........... . 223
General information ......... . 223
Explanation of technical data ...... . 223
Vehicle identification ........... .. .
223
Weights .. .. .. .... .. ........... .
223
Dimens ions .. .. ...... ........... . 224
Data ..... .. .... .. . .. .......... . 225
430 hp, 4.2 liter 8-cyl. engine ...... .
225
525 hp, 5.2 liter 10-cyl. engine .... .
226
Con sumer Information ...... . 227
Warranty coverages .............. . 227
Operating your vehicle outside the
U .S.A . or Canada ... . .. .. ...... .. . 227
Audi Serv ice Repair Manuals and
literature ... .. .. .. . .. .. ..... ... . 227
Maintenance . .. .. ............... . 227
Additional accessories, modifications
and parts replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231

10 Instrum ents a nd warning /indic ato r li ghts
& WARNING
-Always observe the warning in
¢ page 172, 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
compartment. You could bur n yourse lf.
Let the engine coo l
off first until you can
no longer see or hear steam or coolant
escaping .
CD Note
- Mounting additional lights or ac cesso 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
proper ly distribute the cooling air when
the vehicle is moving. If the spoiler is
damaged, th is could reduce the cooling
effect and the engine could then over­
heat. Ask your authorized Aud i dea le r fo r
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 ¢
page 18 lil]. Tim e to r efu el!
CD Note
Never run the tank completely d ry! An ir­
regular supply of fue l can cause engine
misfiring and fuel could enter into the ex­
haust system . The catalyt ic converter
co uld 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.
1S3.9
miles S2YY
F ig . S Speedometer close-up: odometer display
The distance driven is shown in m iles (USA
models) or in kilometers (Canada mode ls) .
Lower odomet er
The lower odomete r shows the tota l number
of miles (kilometers) driven.
Upper odometer (trip odometer )
The upper odometer shows the total number of miles (kilometers) driven s ince you last re­
set the odometer back to zero. You can use
t hi s odometer when you want to keep track of
how many m iles (kilometers) yo u have driven
f o r a si ngle tr ip or e rrand. The last dig it ind i­
cates 1/10 of a mile (100 meters). Yo u can set
the trip odometer back to zero by pressing the reset button ¢
fig. 5.
With the ignit ion off, pushi ng of the Set/
Check button
~ page 8 , fig . 3 0 can turn on
the display fie ld lighting for a few seconds.
Malfunction message
If there is a malfunct ion somewhere in the in­
strument cluster, dEF will appea r in the trip
odometer and w ill s tay on. Co ntact your au ­
thorized Audi dea ler to have the prob lem cor­
rected .
Immobilizer
When the ignition is sw itched on, the data on
the ignition key are scanned automatic ally. .,..

Instruments and warning/indicator lights 15
Engine oil level OK
If
the . symbol st arts flash ing 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 .
Instead, con­
tact your author ized Audi dealer for assis ­
tance.
(D 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 pre ssure warning symbol.
starts to flash before you respond to
the low oil level warning
11-By then,
your engine may already have suffered
serious damage.
- L Engine cooling system
A malfunction in the engine cooling system must be repaired as soon as possible .
When the. symbol in the disp lay fla shes,
then either the eng ine coo lan t
temperature is
too h igh, or the coo lant
level is too low. In ad ­
d ition to the symbol, t he fo llowi ng message
a ls o appears in the display:
Switch off engine and check coolant level
~ Pull off the road and stop th e vehicl e.
~T urnoff th e e ngine.
~ C heck coolan t leve l c:>page 182.
~ Add coolant if ne cessary c:> page 18 3.
~ Co ntinu e dr iving only after the eng ine coo l­
ant war ning/ indicato r light goes o ut.
~ Contact your a uthorized Audi dea ler for as-
s istance if necessary .
If the engine coolant level is co rrect, then the
radiato r fan may be t he cause of the malf unc­
tion . I
f the generator warn ing/ indicato r light
sho uld also illum inate
c:> page 14, then the
fan belt may be damaged .
_& WARNING
- If you r vehicle should brea k down for
mechanical or other reasons, park at a
safe distance fro m moving traff ic , tu rn
off th e eng ine and tu rn on the haza rd
warn ing ligh ts
c:> page 48, Em ergen cy
fla sher.
-
- N ever op en the eng ine c omp artmen t lid
i f you see or he ar stea m or co olan t es­
c a p ing from t he eng ine compar tment -
you risk being s ca lde d. Wa it unt il you can
no lo nger see o r hear s team or coolan t
escapin g.
- Th e engine compa rtment o f any vehi cle
is a dangerous area. Befo re you perform
a ny wo rk i n the engine com partment,
turn off the en gine and allow it to cool.
Follow t he war ning stickers
c:> page 172,
Working in th e engine compartment.
(D Note
Do not continue dr iv in g if the . symbo l
ill umina tes . There is a mal function in the
engine cooli ng system -you c ould damage
your engin e.
~ Convertible top operation
T he ind icator light tu rns o n II
- W hen the convert ib le top opens or closes or
- If the convert ible top did not open or close
comp letely .
T he ind ic a tor light blinks if the converti ble top
cannot open or close
c:> page 38.
;;,/ {); Electronic Stabilization Control
(ESC)
If the G1 i ndicator lamp blinks while dr iv ing,
t h e ESC or ASR (Anti-Slip Reg ulat ion) is ac tive ­
ly reg ulati ng .
If the
DJ indicato r lamp ill uminates, the sys­
tem has sw itched the ESC off. In th is case, you .,.

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-

64 Warm and cold
The LED in the buttons i lluminates when the
function is active .
Button(s) Meaning Pag e
Rotary knob Temperature ¢page 64
CD selection
Switch air con-
Rotary knob ditioning on/
¢page 64
@ ~ off
Fan
Rotary knob Air distribu-
® tion
¢page 65
~ Defrost
Ii] Rea r window
defogge r ¢page 67
I Heated seat
1-J + ! driver/passen-
I ger side *
¢page 67
~ Recirculation ¢page 66
1
, A/CI
Switch on
cooling sys-
¢page 66
I tern
Pollutant filter
The pollutant filter (particle filter) ensures
that contaminants in the outs ide a ir (such as
dust o r pol len) are greatly reduced o r stop­
ped. The ai r is also fi ltered in recircu lation
mode.
The po llutant filter eleme nt must be changed
according to the intervals spec ified in the
maintena nce schedule so that the ai r cond i­
tioning sys tem's pe rforma nce is not adve rsely
a ffec ted.
If the filter's effect iveness is weakened by
d riving the vehicle in a reas with heavily pollut­
ed outside air, the fi lter elemen t shou ld al so
be changed be twee n the liste d se rvices.
_8 WARNING
For safety reasons, it is importan t th at all
w indows are free of ice, snow, an d conde n­
sation. Only then is good visib ility ensured .
Please fam iliarize yourse lf wit h the correct
operation of the air conditioning and how
to de humid ify/defrost the windows.
(D Note
- If you suspect that the climate controls
have been damaged, switch the system
off to avoid damaging it, and have it in­
spected by an authorized Audi dealer.
-Audi cl imate control system repairs re­
quire special expertise and the proper
tools. You should contact an author ized
Audi dea ler in the event of malfunct ions.
(D Tips
- To avoid adversely affecting heat ing and
cooling performance and to prevent c on­
densation on the w indows, t he air i ntake
in front of the wi ndshield must be free of
ice, s now, and leaves.
- Climate cont ro l wor ks mos t effectively if
the windows a re closed. Howeve r, if the
inter io r of a par ked veh icle is ext reme ly
ho t from the sun's r ays, briefly openi ng
t he win dows c an spee d up the cooling
process .
Setting temperature
.,. Tur n the rotary knob CD¢ page 63, fig. 71
to the desired temperature setting.
T o set a lowe r temperature, turn the rota ry
knob to the left. To set a higher temperature,
turn the rotary knob to the r ight. There are
additional intermediate settings available to
adjust the tempe rature as needed .
Switching climate control on/off
Switching the climate control system on /
off
.,. Tu rn the knob@¢ page 63, fig. 71 to the
r igh t to swi tc h climate cont ro l on. The LED
nex t to the wor d OFF goes o ut.
.,. Turn the kn ob @ ¢
page 63, fig. 71 to the
left to switch the climate contro l system off.
The LED next to the wo rd OFF comes on . ..,_

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: .,,_

_& WARNING
You should only return to the saved speed if it is not too fast for the current traffic
conditions - risk of an accident!
Audi magnetic ride
Damping can be adjusted to the driver's pref­
erence and it adapts automatically to the cur­
rent driving situation.
SPORT •
Fig. 81 Center conso le : Switch for Audi magnetic ride
.,. To turn sport setting on/off, press the
switch
¢fi g. 81 .
Aud i magnetic ride is an electronica lly con­
trolled damping system . This chassis system
assists the driver by adapting to the particu lar
situation through imperceptible control proc­
esses. The damping provides individual modu­
lation of damping forces. For example, with
damping characteristics set to prov ide greater
comfort, damping is set somewhat harder for
a brief period only as required, when rounding
a curve and when brak ing.
Standard setting
Select the standard setting if you prefer a sus­
pension setting emphasizing comfort.
Sport setting
Select the sport setting if you prefer a sporty
suspension setting. The LED in the button
II]
comes on to indicate sport setting.
@ Tips
The warning/indicator light Bin the instru­
ment cluster comes on in the event of a
malfunction. Drive to the closest author-
On the road 75
ized Audi dealer as soon as possible and
have the malfunction repaired.
Sporty driving
Warming up and cooling down
By carefully warming up and cooling down
you r vehicle, you can help ensure that it is not
overstressed unnecessar ily during sporty driv­
ing .
When warm ing up, the vehicle is driven at a
maximum engine speed of 6000 RPM
(Vl0 engine) or 7000 RPM (V8 engine) in or­
der to raise the engine oil temperature to a
minimum of 140 °F (60 °C). The tires also on­
ly reach their full road holding capability once
they have warmed up.
The cooling fan can cont inue to run in your ve­
hicle after the engine is switched off. Howev­
er, driving the vehicle to coo l it down is partic­
ularly important. During sporty driving, the
engine and brakes, the exhaust system, and
the transmission all become extremely hot.
Before you park the vehicle, you should drive
it for a few m iles/kilometers at light load in
the low rpm range to allow it to cool down.
Driving on a track
Before you take your vehicle out on a track ,
ensure that it is in perfect condition. For ex­
amp le, you should check the tire tread and the
brake pads. It is best to increase tire pressure
by about 0.3 bar.
When driving on a track, oil consumption may
be somewhat higher than in "normal" opera­
tion
r=> page 178.
You should definitely inspect your vehicle af ­
ter subject ing it to severe conditions . Are the
brake pads OK? Is there anything unusual
about the tires, including the inner and outer
sidewalls (e.g. tread, blistering)? Are the air
intakes free of leaves and tire dust? Is the oil
level OK? .,,.

1 78 Che cking and filling
authorized Audi dealer will have to deny war ­
ranty cov erage un less you present to the dea l­
er proof in the form of Serv ice o r Repair Or­
ders tha t all sched uled maintena nce was per­
f ormed in a t imely manner .
Engine oil consumption
T he engine in your vehicle depends on an ade­
quate amoun t of oil to lubricate and cool all
of its moving par ts.
In order to provide effective l ubrication and
cooling of internal engine components, a ll in­
ternal comb ustion eng ines consume a certa in
amount of o il. O il consumption var ies from
engine to eng ine and may c hange significa ntly
over the life of the eng ine . T ypically, eng ines
with a specifie d break-in per iod (see
c::> p oge 153) consume more oil during the
b reak-in per io d t han they co nsume after oil
consumption has sta bilized.
Unde r no rma l conditions, the rate of oil con­
sum ption depends on the qu ality and vi scosity
of the oi l, the R PM ( revo lutions per m inute) at
which t he engine is ope rated, the ambient
temperature and road cond itio ns. Furthe r fac­
tors are the amount of o il d ilution from water
condensation or fuel residue and the ox ida­
ti on level of the oi l. As any engine is subject to
wear as mileage bu ilds up , the oil consump ­
tion may increase over t ime until replacement
of worn componen ts may become necessary.
W ith all these variables com ing into play, no
standa rd rate of o il consumption can be es ­
tablished or specif ied . T he re is no alternative
to regular and frequent checking of the oil lev­
e l, see
Note .
If the ye llow eng ine o il level warning symbol
i n t he inst rument cluster
1\1 lights up, you
should check the o il l evel as soon as possibl e
c::> page 178. Top off the oil at you r earliest
conven ie nc e
c::>page 180.
_& WARNING
Before yo u check any thin g in t he engine
compartment , always read and hee d all
-
WAR NIN GS c::> & in Working in the engine
compartment on page 173.
(D Note
D riving wit h an insufficient o il level is like ­
l y to cause severe dama ge to the e ngine.
(D Tips
- The oil pressure warning display. is
not an indicator of the oil level. Do not
rely on it. Instead, check the oil level in
your engine at regular intervals , pref­
erably each time you refuel, and always
before going on a long trip .
- If
you have t he impression yo ur engine
cons umes excessive amounts of o il, we
recommend that you consu lt your Aud i
deale r to have the cause of your concer n
prope rly diagnosed . K eep in m ind that
th e accu rat e meas urement of o il con­
s u m ptio n re quires grea t care and may
t a ke some time. Y our Audi de aler h as i n­
st ru ctio ns abou t how to measure oil con­
sumption acc urately .
Checking the engine oil level
Applies to vehicles: with manual transmiss ion
Fig . 1 38 In st ru men t cl uste r: E ng in e oi l te m pe ratu re
d isp lay
Fig. 139 M arkers on o il dip stick

CD Note
-The oil leve l mus t not be ab ove range
¢ page 179 , fig. 141 G) -danger of con­
verter or engine damage! Contact an au­
thorized Audi dealer to draw off oil, if necessary .
- Audi does not recommend the use of oil
additives. They may damage the engine
and adversely affect your New Vehicle
Warranty .
@ For the sake of the environment
-Under no circumstances can the o il come
i n contact with the sewage network or
the soil.
- Observe and follow lega l regu lations
when d isposing of empty oil containers.
Engine cooling system
Coolant
The engine coolant performs two functions: it
keeps the engine from overheating and it pro­ tects the engine from freezing in the winter.
The cooling system is sea led and generally re­
q ui res lit tle at ten tion.
The cooling system has been filled at the fac­
tory with a pe rma nent coolant which does not
need to be changed. The coolant consists of a
mix ture o f wa ter and the m anu fa ctu rer 's g ly ­
col -based coolant addit ive Gl3 antifreeze
with anticorrosion additives (50% for USA mod els; 60% for Canadian models) . This mix ­
ture both assures the necessary frost protec ­
tion and protects metal components i n the
engine's cooling system from corrosion and
scaling .
It also raises the bo iling po int of the
coolant.
Do not reduce the concentration of the coo l­
ant in the summer by adding plain water.
The
proportion of coolant addit ive must b e at
lea st 50% but not more than 60 %
to main­
tain antifree ze protection and cooling efficie n­
cy.
If t he cool ant frost pro tect io n is too low,
the coo lant cou ld freeze and damage the veh i­
cle heating and engine cooling system.
Checkin g and fillin g 181
For year -round driving, antifreeze is added at
the factory for temperatures down to:
- -31°F(-35°C)USA
- -40 °F ( -40 °C) Canada.
.8, WARNING
Before you check anythi ng i n the engi ne
com partmen t, a lways re ad and heed al l
WA RNIN GS
q .&. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 173 .
-
CD Note
- Before wi nte r sets in, have the coo lant
checke d to see if the cool ant a ddi tive in
yo ur vehicle is sufficient to meet the cli ­
mate conditions . This is especia lly impor ­
tant if you live in a region where the win­
ter is extreme ly cold. I f necessary, in­
crease the proportion of coo lant add itive
to 60% .
- When adding coolant additive to your cooling system, remember :
- We re commend using o nly coola nt ad­
di tive G l2++ or Gl3 (check the l abe l)
for your vehi cle. This coolan t additive is
ava ila ble at autho rize d Aud i dea le rs .
Othe r ty pes of antifreeze can sig nifi­
cantly reduce corros ion protection. The
resu lting corrosion can cause a loss of
coolant and serio us engine damage.
- Do not add any type of rad iator leak seal ­
ant to yo ur vehicle 's engine coolant.
Add ing radiator repair flu id may adverse­
ly affect the f unction and performance of
your cooling system and co uld resu lt in
damage not covered by you r New Vehicl e
Li mited War ran ty.
•
•

182 Checking and filling
Checking the engine coolant level
Proceed carefully when checking the coolant.
Fig. 144 Convertible top: se rvice position
Fig. 145 Convert ible top sto rage bay: coo lant expan­
sion tank
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
always read and heed all WARN­
INGS c:::> &_ in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 173
and park your vehicle on a
level surface.
The coolant expansion tank is located in the
right side of the convertible top storage bay
under the round metal cover
c:::> fig. 145. The
convertible top must be in the service position
to check the coolant leve l
c:::> fig. 144.
Bringing the closed convertible top into
the service position
.. Switch the ignition on .
.. Pull and hold the convertible top switch .
.. Press and hold the rear window switch too
until the convertib le top moves into the
service position
c:::> fig. 144.
Bringing the open convertible to into the
service position
.. Switch the ignition on.
.. Press and hold the convertible top switch. ..
Press and hold the rear window switch too
until the convertible top moves into the
service position
c:::> fig. 144.
Opening the coolant expansion tank cover
.. Stop the engine and allow it to cool.
.. Switch the ignition off .
.. Care fully remove the bolts in the cover@
using a screwdriver and remove the cover.
The coolant reservoir is located below
¢fig. 145.
Checking the engine coolant level
.. Place a rag or cloth on the cap of the coolant
expansion tank and turn the cap
carefully to
the left (counter-clockwise)
c:::> .&, .
.. Read the coolant leve l inside the coolant ex­
pansion tank¢
fig. 145. With a cold engine,
it must be above the "min" mark. With a hot
eng ine, it can be a little above the indicated
range.
To obtain an accurate reading, the engine must be switched off.
The expansion tank in your vehicle is equipped
with an electric coo lant level sensor
c:::> page 15. We still recommend you check the
coolant level from time to time .
Coolant loss
Coolant loss may indicate a leak in the cooling
system. In the event of coolant loss, the cool­
ing system should be inspected immediately
by your authorized Audi dealer. It is not
enough merely to add coolant.
In a
sealed system, losses can occur on ly if
the boiling point of the coo lant is exceeded as
a result of overheating .
A WARNING
-- The cooling system is under pressure. Do
notopenthecapofthecoolantexpan­
sion tank when the engine is hot. You
ris k be ing sca lded.
- The coolant additive, and therefore the
coo lant itself, is haza rdous to hea lth .
Keep the coolant additive in the original