ESP AUDI R8 SPYDER 2015 Service Manual

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vehicle can damage a part of an airbag system
and prevent that system from working properly
in a co llision.
There are some important things you have to know to make sure that the effectiveness of the
system wi ll not be impaired and that discarded
components do not cause injury or pollute the
environment.
A WARNING
Improper care, servicing and repair proce­
dures can increase the risk of personal injury
and death by prevent ing an a irbag from de­
ploying when needed or dep loying an airbag
unexpectedly:
- Never cover, obstruct, o r change the steer­
ing wheel horn pad or a irbag cover or the in­
strument panel or mod ify them in any way.
- Never attach any objects such as cup holders
or te lephone moun tings to the su rfaces cov­
er ing the airbag units.
- F or cleaning the ho rn pad or instrument
pane l, use only a soft, d ry cloth or one mois­
tened with plain water. Solvents or cleaners
cou ld damage the a irbag cover or change
the stiffness o r strength of the mater ial so
that the airbag cannot dep loy and protect
properly.
- Never repa ir, adjust, or change any parts of
the airbag system.
- All wo rk on the stee ring wheel, inst rument
pane l, front seats or elect rical system (in­
cluding the installation of aud io equipment,
cellu lar telep hones and CB radios, etc.)
must be performed by a qualified technician
who has the train ing and special eq uipment
necessary.
- For any work on the airbag system, we
strongly recommend that you see you r au­
tho rized Aud i dea le r o r qualified workshop.
- Never mod ify the front bumper or parts of
the vehicle body .
- Always make sure that the side airbag can
inflate without inte rfe rence:
- N ever install seat covers or replacement
up ho lstery over the front seatbacks that
Airbag syste m
have not been specif ically approved by
Audi.
- Never use additional seat c ushions that
cover the areas where the side a irbags in­
flate.
- Damage to the orig inal seat cove rs or to
the seam in the area of the side airbag
module must a lways be repaired immedi­
ate ly by an authorized Aud i dealer .
- The airbag system can be activated only
once. After an airbag has inflated, it must
be rep laced by an authorized A udi dealer or
qualified technic ian who has the technical
info rmation, t raining and specia l equipment
necessary.
- The airbag system can be deployed only
once. After an airbag has been deployed, it m ust be replaced w ith new repla cemen t
p ar ts des igned and app roved especially for
your Aud i model version . Replacement of
comp lete airbag systems or airbag compo­
nents must be perfo rmed by qualified wor k­
shops only. Make sure that any airbag serv­
ice action is entered in your Audi Warranty
&
Maintenance book let under AIRBAG RE­
PLACEMENT RECORD.
- For safety reasons in severe accidents, the
alternator and starte r are separated from
the vehicle batte ry w ith a pyrotechnic circuit
interrupter.
- Work on the pyrotechnic circuit interrupt­
er must on ly be performed by a qua lified
dealer - risk of an acc ident!
- If the vehicle or the circuit interr upter is
scrapped, all applicable safety precautions
must be followed.
@ For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modules and pretension ­
ers might be classified as Perchlorate Material
-specia l hand ling may apply, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlo­ rate. When the vehicle or parts of the re­
stra int system including airbag modules and
safety belts with pretensioners are scrapped,
a ll applicable laws and regulations must be ..,_
115

Airbag system
Important safety instructions on the knee
airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. Always
wear safety belts correctly and ride in a proper
seating position.
There is a lot that you and your passenger must
know and do to help the safety belts and airbags
to provide supplemental protection.
,8. WARNING
An inflating knee airbag can cause serious in­
jury. Wearing safety belts incorrectly and im­ proper seating positions increase the risk of
serious personal injury and death whenever a
vehicle is being used.
- The knee airbag system cannot protect you
properly if you are seated too close to any of
the airbag locations. When adjusting their
seat positions, it is important that both the
driver and the front passenger keep their
upper bodies and knees at the following
minimum safe distances :
- at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the
chest and the steering wheel/instrument
panel.
- at least 4 inches (10 cm) between the
knees and the lower part of the instru­
ment panel.
- The risk of personal injury increases if you
lean forward or to the side, or if the seat is
improperly positioned and you are not wear­
ing your safety belt . The risk increases even
more should the airbag deploy .
- Always make sure that the knee airbag can
inflate without interference . Objects be­
tween you and the airbag can increase the
risk of injury in an accident by interfering
with the way the airbag deploys or by being
pushed into you as the airbag deploys.
- Never let anybody, especially children or
animals in the footwell in front of the pas­
senger seat .
If the airbag deploys , this can
result in serious or fatal injuries.
- No objects of any kind should be carried in
the footwell area in front of the driver's or
passenger's seat. Bulky objects (shopping
118
bags, for example) can hamper or prevent
proper deployment of the airbag. Small
objects can be thrown through the vehicle
if the airbag deploys and injure you or your
passengers.
- Make sure there are no cracks, deep scratch­
es or other damage in the area of the instru ­
ment panel where the knee airbags are lo­
cated .
- If children are incorrectly seated, their risk
of injury increases in a collision
r::-, page 122, Child Safety .
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained front seat occu­
pants.
Fig . 121 Sid e airb ag locatio n in the driver's seat
The side airbags are located in the sides of the
front seat backrests~
fig. 121 facing the doors .
They are identified by the word "AIRBAG" .
The side airbag system basically consists of:
-the ele ctronic control module and external sid e
i mpact sensors
- the two side airbags located in the sides of the
front backrests
- the airbag warning light in the instrument clus-
t e r.
The airbag system is monitored electronically to
make certain that it is functioning properly at all
times. Each time you turn on the ignition, the air ­
bag system indicator light will come on for a few
seconds (self diagnostics).
II>

Airbag syste m
protection, the side airbag must inflate within a
fraction of a second at very high speed and with
great force . T he supplemental side airbag cou ld
injure you if your seating position is not proper or
upright or if items are located in the area where
the supplemental side airbag expands. This ap­ plies especially to ch ildren
~ page 122, Child
Safety.
Supplemental side airbags inflate be­
tween the occupant and the door panel on the
side of the vehi cle that is struck in certain s ide
collision
~ fig. 122.
A lthough they are not a soft pi llow, they can
"cushion" the impact and in th is way they can
he lp to reduce the r isk of inj ury to the upper part
of the body.
A fine dust may develop when the airbag deploys .
This is normal and does not mean there is a fire
in the vehicle .
Important safety instructions on the side
airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints . Always
properly wear safety belts and ride in a proper
seating position .
There is a lot that you and your passenger must
know and act accordingly to help the safety belts
and a irbags do the ir job to provide supplementa l
protection.
A WARNING
An inflating side airbag can cause ser ious or
fatal injury. Improperly wearing safety belts and improper seating positions increase the
r isk of serious personal injury and death
whenever a vehicle is being used .
- In order to reduce the risk of injury when the supplemental s ide airbag inflates:
- Always sit in an upright position and never lean against the area where the supple­
mental side airbag is located.
- Never let a chi ld or anyone else rest their
head against the side trim panel in the
area where the supplementa l side airbag
inflates .
- Always make sure that safety belts are
worn correct ly,
120
-
- Do not let anyone sitting in the front seat
put their hand or any other parts of their
body out of the window.
- Always make sure that the s ide a irbag can
inflate w ithout interference .
- Never install seat covers or rep lacement
upholste ry over the front seatbacks that
have not been specifically approved by
A udi.
- Never use additional seat c ushions that
cover the areas where the side a irbags de­
ploy .
- Damage to the orig inal seat covers or to
the seam in the area of the side airbag module must a lways be repaired immedi­
ate ly by an authorized Audi dealer.
- Objects between you and the airbag can in­ crease the risk of inju ry in an accident by in­
terfer ing with the way the airbag unfolds or
by being p ushed into you as the airbag in­
flates.
- Never place or attach a ccessor ies or other
obje cts (such as cup holders, telephone
brackets, or even large, bulky objects) on
the doors, over or near the area marked "AIRBAG" on the seat backrests.
- Such objects and accessories can become dangerous projectiles and cause injury
when the supplementa l side airbag de­
ploys .
- Never carry any objects or pets in the de­
ployment space between them and the
airbags or allow children or other passen­
gers to travel in this posit ion.
- Always prevent the side airbags from being
damaged by heavy objects knocking against
or hitting the sides of the seatbacks .
- The a irbag system can only be triggered
once . If the airbag has been triggered, the
system must be replaced by an authorized
Aud i deale rship.
- Damage (cracks, deep scratches etc .) to the
or iginal seat covers or to the seam in the
area of the s ide a irbag mod ule must always
be repaired immediately by an authorized
Aud i dea le r.

Child Safety
Child Safety
Important things to
know
Introduction
The physical principles of what happens when
your vehicle is in a crash apply also to children
c::> page 96, What happens to occupants not
wearing safety belts? .
But unlike adults and
teenagers, the ir muscles and bones are not fully
developed . In many respects children are at
greater risk of serious injury in crashes than
adu lts.
Because children 's bod ies are not fully developed,
they require restra int systems especially de ­
signed for their size, weight, and body structure. Many countr ies and all states of the United
S ta tes and p rov inces of Canada have laws requi r­
ing the use of app roved ch ild restra int systems
for in fan ts and small children .
I n a fronta l crash at a speed of 20-35 mph
(30-56 km/ h) the fo rces acting on a 13-pound
(6 kg) infant w ill be more than 20 t imes the
weight of the child. This means the weight of the
chi ld would sudden ly be more than 260 po unds
(120 kg) . Under these conditions, only an appro­
priate ch ild restraint properly used can reduce
the risk of serious injury. Ch ild restraints, like
adu lt safety be lts, must be used p roperly to be
effective . Used improperly, they can increase the
ris k of serious injury in an accident.
Consult the child safety seat manufacturer's in­
structions in order to be sure the seat is r ight for
your child's size
c::> page 125, Important safety
instructions for using child safety seats .
Please
be sure to read a nd heed all of t he importa nt in­
formation and WARNI NGS about c hild safety, Ad­
vanced Ai rbags, and the installa tion of child re­
s traints in this chapter .
There is a lot you need to know about the Ad­
vanced A irbags in yo ur vehicle and how t hey work
when infants and children in child rest rain ts are
on the fron t passenger seat . Because of the large
amo unt of important informat ion, we cannot re­
peat it a ll here. We urge you to read the detai led
122
i nformation in this owner 's man ua l about airbags
and the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle
and the very important information about trans ­
porting children on the front passenger seat.
Please be sure to heed the WARNINGS - they are
extremely important for your safety and the safe ­
ty of your passengers, especially infants and
small chi ld ren .
&_ WARNING
All vehicle occupants and especially chi ld ren
must be res trained p roperly whenever r iding
in a vehicle. An unres trained or imprope rly re­
strained chi ld could be inj ured by strik ing the
inte rior or by being ejected from the vehicle
during a sudden maneuver or impact. An un­ restra ined or improperly restrained child is al­
so at greater risk of injury or death through
contact w ith an inf lating a irbag.
&_ WARNING
Children on the front seat of any car even with
Advanced Airbags can be ser iously injured or
even killed when an a irbag inflates . A child in
a re arwa rd-facing child safety seat installed
on the front passenger seat will be serio usly
injured and can be kil led if the front air bag in­
f lates.
- The infla ting airbag will h it the ch ild safety
seat or in fant ca rrier with great force and
w ill smash the child safety seat and child
aga inst the backrest, door or roof.
- Never install a rearward facin g child safety
seat on the front passenger seat unless the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and stays on. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
li ght does not come on and stay on,
have the airbag system inspected immed i­
ately by your Au di dealer .
&_ WARNING
If, in exceptiona l circumstances , you must in­
stall a forwa rd-fac ing c hild restra int on the
front p assenger's seat:

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A WARNING ,~
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make sure
that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays on whenever a child re­
straint is installed on the front passenger seat
and the ignition is switched on.
- Never install a rearward facing child safety
seat on the front passenger seat unless the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and stays on. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light does not come on and stay on the
inflating airbag will hit the child safety seat
or infant carrier with great force and will
smash the child safety seat and child against the backrest, door or roof. Have the
airbag system inspected immediately by
your authorized Audi dealer.
{!) Tips
The child seats listed in categories A to C have been statically tested by Audi only for the Ad­
vanced Airbag function.
Important safety instructions for using
child safety seats
Correct use of child safety seats substantially re­
duces the risk of injury in an accident!
As the driver, you are responsible for the safety of
everybody in the vehicle, especially children:
.. Always use the right child safety seat for each
child and always use it properly
c;, page 127.
.. Always carefully follow the child safety seat
manufacturer's instructions on how to route
the safety belt properly through the child safe­
ty seat.
.. When using the vehicle safety belt to install a
child safety seat, you must first activate the
convertible locking retractor on the safety belt
to prevent the child safety seat from moving
c;, poge 130.
.. Push the child safety seat down with your full
weight to get the safety belt really tight so that
the seat cannot move forward or sideways more
than one inch (2 .5 cm) .
.. If a strap or tether is being used to tie the child
safety seat to the front passenger seat, make
Child Safety
sure that it is not so tight that it causes the
weight-sensing mat to measure more weight than is actually on the seat.
Always remember: Even though your vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, a
child should always ride in the seat properly re­
strained for its age and size.
A WARNING
-Not using a child safety seat, using the wrong
child safety seat or improperly installing a
child restraint increases the risk of serious personal injury and death.
- All vehicle occupants and especially children must always be restrained properly whenev­
er riding in a vehicle.
- An unrestrained or improperly restrained
child can be injured or killed by being
thrown against the inside of the vehicle or
by being ejected from it during a sudden
maneuver or impact.
- An unrestrained or improperly restrained
child is at much greater risk of injury or
death by being struck by an inflating air­ bag .
- Commercially available child safety seats
are required to comply with U.S. Federal Mo­
tor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 213 (in
Canada CMVSS 213).
- When buying a child restraint, select one
that fits your child and the vehicle .
- Only use child restraint systems that fully
contact the flat portion of the seat cush­
ion. The child restraint must not tip or
lean to either side. Audi does not recom­
mend using child safety seats that rest on
legs or tube-like frames. They do not pro­
vide adequate contact with the seat.
- Always heed all legal requirements per­
taining to the installation and use of child
safety seats and carefully follow the in­
structions provided by the manufacturer
of the seat you are using.
- Never let more than one child occupy a child
safety seat.
~
125

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stronger parts of their bodies and the safety belt
can help protect them in a crash.
.,. Do not use the convertible locking retractor
when using the vehicle's safety belt to restrain
a child on a booster seat.
... The shoulder belt must lie as close to the cen­
ter of the child 's collar bone as possible and
must lie and snug on the upper body. It must
never lie across the throat or neck. The lap belt
must lie across the pelvis and never across the
stomach or abdomen . Make sure the belt lies
flat and snug. Pull on the belt to tighten if nec­ essary.
Children up to at least 8 years old (over 40 lbs . or
18 kg) are best protected in child safety seats de­
signed for their age and weight. Experts say that
the skeletal structure, particularly the pelvis, of
these children is not fully developed, and they
must not use the vehicle safety belts without a
suitable child restraint.
It is usually best to put these children in appro­
priate booster seats. Be sure the booster seat
meets all applicable safety standards.
Booster seats raise the seating position of the
child and reposition both the lap and shoulder
parts of the safety belt so that they pass across
the child's body in the right places. The routing of
the belt over the child's body is very important
for the child 's protection, whether or not a boos­
ter seat is used.
Children who are at least 4
ft. 9 in. (57 inches/
1.45 meters) tall can generally use the vehicle's
three point lap and shoulder belts. Never use the lap belt portion of the vehicle's safety belt alone
t o re strain any child, regardless of how big the
child is . Always remember that children do not
have the pronounced pelvic structure required for
the proper function of lap belt portion of the ve­
hicle's three point lap and shoulder belts . The
child's safety absolutely requires that a lap belt
portion of the safety belt be fastened snugly and
as low as possible around the pelvis. Never let
the lap belt portion of the safety belt pass over
the child's stomach or abdomen.
In a crash, airbags must inflate within a blink of
an eye and with considerable force. In order to do
Child Safety
its job, the airbag needs room to inflate so that it
will be there to protect the occupant as the occu­ pant moves forward into the airbag .
A vehicle occupant who is out of position and too
close to the airbag gets in the way of an inflating
airbag. When an occupant is too close, he or she
will be struck violently and will receive serious or
possibly even fatal injury.
In order for the airbag to offer protection, it is
important that all vehicle occupants, especially
any chi ldren, who must be in the front seat be­
cause of exceptional circumstances, be properly
restrained and as far away from the airbag as
possible. By keeping room between the child's
body and the front of the passenger compart­
ment, the airbag can inflate completely and pro­
vide supplemental protection in certain frontal
collisions.
A WARNING
-Not using a booster seat, using the booster
seat improperly, incorrectly installing a boos­
ter seat or using the vehicle safety belt im­
properly increases the risk of serious personal
injury and death in a collision or other emer­
gency situation. To help reduce the risk of se­
rious personal injury and/or death :
- The shoulder belt must lie as close to the
center of the child's collar bone as possible
and must lie and snug on the upper body .
It
must never lie across the throat or neck . The
lap belt must lie across the pelvis and never
across the stomach or abdomen. Make sure
the belt lies flat and snug. Pull on the belt
to tighten if necessary.
- Fai lure to properly route safety belts over a
child's body w ill cause severe injuries in an
accident or other emergency situation
~ page 95.
- Children on the front seat of any car, even
with Advanced Airbags, can be seriously in­
jured or even killed when an airbag inflates.
- Never let a child stand or kneel on the seat.
- Never let a child ride in the cargo area of
your vehicle.
- Always remember that a child leaning for­
ward, sitting sideways or out of position in
129

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with great force and will smash the child
safety seat and child against the backrest,
door or roof. Have the airbag system in­
spected immediately by your Audi dealer.
- Improper installation of child restraints can
reduce their effectiveness or even prevent
them from providing any protection .
- An improperly installed child restraint can
interfere with the airbag as it deploys and
seriously injure or even kill the child.
- Always carefully follow the manufacturer's
instructions provided with the child safety
seat or carrier .
- Never place additional items on the seat
that can increase the total weight registered
by the weight-sensing mat and can cause in­
jury in a crash.
A WARNING
Forward-facing child restraints:
-Always make sure the forward-facing seat
has been designed and certified by its man­
ufacturer for use on a front seat with a pas­
senger front and side airbag.
- Never put the forward-facing child restraint
up, against or very near the instrument pan­
el.
-Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat's fore and aft
adjustment range, as far away from the air­
bag as possible before installing the for­
ward-facing child restraint. The backrest must be adjusted to an upright position.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignition is switched on.
A WARNING
Rearward-facing child restraints:
- A child in a rearward-facing child safety seat
installed on the front passenger seat will be
seriously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflates - even with an Ad­
vanced Airbag System .
- The inflating airbag will hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
Child Safety
will smash the child safety seat and child
against the backrest, door or roof.
- Always be especially careful if you must in­
stall a rearward facing child safety seat on
the front passenger seat in exceptional cir­
cumstances.
- A tight tether strap on a rearward-facing
child restraint attached to the front passen­
ger seat can put too much pressure on the
weight -mat in the seat and register a heavi­
er weight in the Advanced Airbag System .
The heavier weight registered can make the
system work as though an adult were on the
seat and deploy the Advanced Airbag when
it must be suppressed causing serious or
even fatal injury to the child.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignition is switched on.
- Never install a rearward facing child safety
seat on the front passenger seat unless the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and stays on. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light does not come on and stay on
have the airbag system inspected immedi­
ately by your Audi dealer .
Activating the convertible locking retractor
Use the conver tible locking re trac tor to secure a
child restraint.
Always h eed the child safety seat manufacturer's
instructions when installing a child restraint in
your vehicle. To ac tiva te the convertible locking
retractor:
.. Place the child restraint on a seat.
.. Slowly pull the belt
all the way out .
.. Route it around or through the child restraint
belt path
c:> ,&. .
.. Push the child safety seat down with your full
weight to get the safety belt really tight.
.,. Insert the belt tongue into the buckle for that
seating position.
.. Guide the safety belt back into the retractor un­
til the belt lies flat and snug on the child safety
seat. ..,.
131

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Anti-loc k br aking sy stem (ABS )
ABS prevents the wheels from locking up when
brak ing . T he vehicle can st ill be stee red even dur ­
ing hard braking. App ly steady pressure to the
brake peda l. Do not pump the peda l. A pulsing in
the brake pedal indicates that the system is help­
ing you to brake the vehicle.
Brake assist sy ste m
The brake assist system can decrease braking dis ­
tance. It increases braking power when the dr iver
presses the brake pedal quick ly in emergency sit­
uations. You must press and ho ld the brake pedal
until the situation is over.
Anti -slip regulation (ASR )
ASR reduces engine power when the drive whee ls
begin to spin and adapts the force to the road
conditions. This makes it easier to start, acceler ­
ate and dr ive up h ills.
Electronic diff erential lock (EDL )
The EDL brakes wheels that are spinning and
transfers the drive power to the other drive wheel or wheels if the vehicle is equipped w ith all-whee l
drive*. This function is available up to about 60
mph (100 km/h) .
I n extreme cases , EDL automatically switches off
to help keep the brake on the braked wheel from
overheating . EDL wi ll switch on again automati­
cally when conditions have returned to normal.
A WARNING
- ESC, ABS, ASR and EDL cannot overcome the
laws of phys ics. Th is is especially important
on slippery or wet roads. If the syst ems be­
gin act ing to stab ilize your vehicle, you
sho uld immediately cha nge your speed to
match the roa d and traffic con ditions. Do
not let the increased safety provided by
these systems tempt you to take risks . Do­
ing so wi ll increase the risk of a loss of vehi­
cle contro l, collis ion and serio us personal in­
juries .
- Always adapt your speed to road, traffic and
weather cond it ions. The risk of losing con­
tro l of the veh icle increases when driving
Int ellig ent t echnolo gy
too fast, especially through curves and on
slippery or wet roads, and when dr iving too
close to vehicles up ahead. ESC, ABS, the
brake assist system, EDL and ASR cannot
prevent coll is ions .
- Always accelerate with special care on even,
smooth surfaces such as those that are wet
or covered with ice and snow. The drive
wheels can spin even with these assistance sys tems that cannot always help to reduce
the risk of loss of veh icle control.
(D Tips
- ABS and ASR only wo rk correctly when all
four wheels are eq uipped with ident ical
tire s. Different tire s izes can lead to a reduc­
t ion i n engine power.
- Yo u may hear noises when the systems de­
sc ribed a re wo rking.
- If the ind icator light GJ or II (USA mod­
els) ;tiJ (Canada models) appea rs, there
may be a malfunction~
page 15,
~ page 15.
Switching on/off
ESC turns on automatically when you start the
engine.
SPORT •
Fig . 12 6 Cente r co nsole wit h lJ bu tto n
ESC sport mode
In certain situations, it might make sense to a l­
low some slip. For example:
- Rocking the vehicle to free it when it is st uck
- Driving in deep snow or on loose gro und
- Dr iving with snow chains
135

Intelligent technology
Press the I!! button briefly¢ fig. 126 . The II in­
dicator light turns on and Sport control Warn­
ing! Restricted st abilit y appears in the driver in­
formation system d isplay. Driving stability is lim­
ited in sport mode.
Sw itch ing ESC off
Press and hold the
l!I button for three seconds .
The ESC indicator light
fl turns on and Stabil i­
z atio n prog ram off appears in the display. ASR is
also switched off when ESC is sw itched off.
Sw itch ing on
Press the
l!J button again. The message Stabili­
zation progr am on appears briefly in the disp lay .
_& WARNING
You should only sw itch the ESC off if your dr iv­
ing ability and the traffic s ituation allow. This
could increase the risk of slipp ing.
- The stabilizing function is limited in ESC
sport mode. The driving wheels could spin and the vehicle could swerve, especially on
slick or slippery road surfaces.
- There is no vehicle stabilization when ESC is
switched off.
(D Tips
If there is a malfunction in the retractable
rear spo iler* or the A udi magnetic ride*, it
may not be possible to activate ESC sport
mode or normal mode may act ivate aga in au­
tomatically.
Braking
What affects braking efficiency?
New brake pad s
During the f irst 250 miles (400 km), new brake
pads do not possess the ir full braking effect, they
have to be "broken in" first¢.&. . The break- in pe­
riod can be considerab ly longer for vehicles w ith
ceramic b rake roto rs*. You can compensate for
this s light ly reduced b ra ki ng power by push ing
ha rder on the b rake peda l. Avoid heavy braking
loads during the bre ak-in period.
136
Operating conditions and driving habits
The bra kes on today's automobiles a re s till sub­
j ect to wear, depend ing largely on operating con ­
ditions and driving habits ¢& . On vehicles that
a re either driven most ly in stop-and-go city traf­
fic or are driven hard, the brake pads should be
checked by your authorized Aud i dealer more of­
te n tha n specified in the Warranty
& Maint e­
nance bookl et. Failure to have you r brake pads
i nspected can resu lt in reduced b rake pe rform­
ance.
On steep slopes, you shou ld use the braking ef­
fect of the engine . This way, you prevent un nec­
essary wear on the brake system . If you must use
you r brakes, do not hold the bra kes down cont in­
u o usly. Pump the brakes at in tervals.
Operating noise
Noises may occur when braki ng depending on the
speed, braking force and outs ide cond it ions such
as tempera ture and hum idity.
Due to the nature of the materia ls used i n ceram­
i c brake rotors*, noises may become more appa­
r ent at low speeds.
Effect of water and road salt
In certa in situations, for examp le after driv ing
through water , in heavy rain, after overnight con­
densation or after washing your car, the braking
effect can be reduced by moisture or ice on the
brake rotors and brake pads . The brakes must be
dr ied fi rst w ith a few careful b rake app lications.
At higher speeds and with the windsh ield wipers
turned on, the brake pads press against the brake r otors for a short amount of time. This occurs at
r egular intervals without the dr iver not ic ing and
provides fo r be tter brake response time under
wet cond it ions.
The effect iveness of the brakes ca n be red uced
when the v ehicle is d riv en on a salt-cove red road
and the b rakes are no t used. Likewise, you clean
off a ccumula ted salt coating from b rake d iscs
and pads with a few ca utious app lications of the
brake ¢& .
D ue to the ir sur fa ce character istics, cerami c
brake ro tors * absorb moistu re in such co ndi tions . ..,.

Intelligent technology
Rear spoiler
The rear spoiler improves vehicle handling and
enhances driver control.
SPORT •
Fig. 127 Switch for rear spoiler
The rear spoiler deploys and retracts. Spo iler op­
eration can be set for automatic or manual oper­
ation.
Automatic mode (normal operation)
-Extending automatically: This occurs when driv­
ing faster than approximately
62 mph (100
km/h) or at a certain engine compartment tem­
perature1l.
- Retracting automatically: This occurs when
driv ing s lower than approximate ly
22 mph (35
km/h) or at a certain engine compartment tem­
perature1l.
Manual mode
- Extending manually: Press the switch
~ fig. 12 7 briefly to extend the rear spoi ler
completely.
- Retracting manually: When dr iving at speeds
below approximately
12 mph (20 km/h), press
and hold the switch to retract the rear spoiler.
When dr iving at speeds between
12 mph and
62 mph (20 km/h and 100 km/h), press the
switch briefly to retract the rear spoiler com­
pletely. You cannot retract the rear spoiler if it
extended due to the engine compartment tem­
perature.
1 > The rear spoiler only extends or retracts above a certain
e ngine temperature in some mode ls.
138
Indicator light
When the indicator light I-· appears, there is a
system malfunction. The rear spoi ler may not be
able to extend. This could change the vehicle's
driving character istics at high speeds. Do not ex­
ceed 87 mph
(140 km/h). Drive to your author­
i zed Audi dealer immediately to have the mal­
function corrected.
A WARNING
-
Driving at h igher speeds without the rear
spoiler deployed can impair handling charac­
ter istics, making the vehicle harder to control.
- Improper operation of the rear spoiler can
cause crushing injuries. A lways make sure
that nobody , especial ly children, is in the
way when the rear spoiler is deployed or re­
tracted.
- Always obey speed limits and other traffic
laws.
- Hot air from the engine compartment can
escape through the rear spoiler when it is
open and it could burn you.
(D Note
-Never push the vehicle or apply force to the
rear spoiler -it could be damaged.
- To prevent damage to the rear spo iler do
not lean or place anything on it.
- Only operate the rear spo iler manually when
the engine compartment lid is closed and
the rear spoiler moving parts are not
bloc ked. Otherwise, damage could occur.
(D Tips
Clean the spoiler compartment every 2 to 3
months. The spoiler compartment must al­
ways be free of ice, snow, leaves or other de­
bris.