ESP VOLKSWAGEN CC 2012 Owner's Guide

WARNING
Improper trailer towing can cause loss of vehicle control and
serious personal injury.
Driving with a trailer and carrying heavy or bulky items
changes the way the vehicle handles and increases the dis-
tance it needs to stop safely.
Always watch what is happening up ahead and around you.
Brake earlier than you would if you were not towing a trailer.
Always adapt your speed and driving to the heavier load and
the weight distribution in the vehicle. Take road, weather, traf-
fic, and visibility conditions into account as well.
Reduce your speed even more than you otherwise would
when going downhill and under unfavorable load, weather, or
wind conditions.
Drive especially carefully and accelerate gently. Always avoid
sudden maneuvers and hard braking.
Be especially careful when passing other vehicles.
Reduce speed immediately if the trailer shows even the
slightest sign of swaying.
Never try to stop the swaying by accelerating.
Always obey speed limits. In some areas speed limits for ve-
hicles towing trailers are lower than for vehicles without trail-
ers.
Ball mount

Fig. 108 Dimensions of the ball mount support.

Never mount used tires on your vehicle if you are not sure of
their past use. Old, used tires and wheels may have damage
that cannot be seen that can lead to sudden tire failure and loss
of vehicle control.
Tires age even if they are not being used and can fail sudden-
ly, especially at high speeds, causing loss of vehicle control,
accidents, and severe personal injuries. Tires that are more
than 6 years old can be used only in an emergency and even
then only with special care and at low speed.
For technical reasons it is usually not possible to use wheel rims
from other vehicles. Even wheel rims from the same model may not fit
properly. Check with an authorized Volkswagen dealer or authorized
Volkswagen Service Facility if necessary.
Tire and wheel handling

Fig. 110 Tire rotation diagram.

WARNING
Tires age even if they are not being used and can fail suddenly,
especially at high speeds, causing loss of vehicle control, acci-
dents, and severe personal injuries.
Tires that are more than 6 years old can be used only in an
emergency and even then only with special care and at low
speed.
Always dispose of old tires in accordance with legal require-
ments.
Wheel rims

If a sensor for the Tire Pressure Monitoring System must be
replaced, the corresponding valve must be replaced at the same
time.
Always dispose of old tires in accordance with legal require-
ments.
TPMS wheel sensors are classified as Perchlorate Material –
special handling may apply. Obey all legal requirements regarding
handling and disposal of these components – see
http://www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlorate. Obey all appli-
cable legal requirements regarding handling and disposal of the vehi-
cle or parts of its restraint system, including airbag modules and safe-
ty belts with pretensioners. Authorized Volkswagen dealers and au-
thorized Volkswagen Service Facilities are familiar with the require-
ments, and we recommend that you have them perform this service
for you.
If the replacement wheel is different from the tires that you have
mounted on your vehicle — for example, winter tires, wider, low-
profile tires or a compact spare — only use the replacement wheel for
a short time and drive cautiously.
Replace it with a tire matching the others on your vehicle as soon
as possible.
Although tire size specifications can be the same, the actual di-
mensions may differ from those nominal values for different tire
makes, or the tire contours may be significantly different.

After adjusting the tire inflation pressures, make sure to screw the
valve caps back on; replace missing valve caps immediately. Please
read and heed the information on resetting the Tire Pressure Monitor-
ing System, if necessary ⇒  Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS).
Remember that the vehicle manufacturer, not the tire manufacturer,
determines the correct tire pressure for the tires on your vehicle.
Never exceed the maximum inflation pressure listed on the tire side-
wall for any reason.
Inflate a spare wheel to the pressure specified for the vehicle's road
wheels on the tire pressure label; inflate a compact spare wheel to
the pressure specified for the compact spare on the tire pressure la-
bel or on a separate label for the compact spare, if there is one.
WARNING
Incorrect tire pressure can cause a sudden tire failure or blow-
out, loss of control, collision, serious personal injury, and even
death.
Always inflate tires to the recommended and correct cold tire
pressure before driving off.
Low tire pressure can cause tires to get too hot, resulting in
tread separation, sudden loss of pressure, and blowouts. Tires
with excessively low pressure flex (bend) more, which can
cause the tire to overheat and fail suddenly without warning.
Excessive speed and/or overloading can cause heat build-up,
sudden tire failure including a blowout and sudden deflation
and loss of control.
If the tire pressure is too low or too high, the tires will wear
prematurely and the vehicle will not handle well.
Regularly check tire inflation pressure, at least once a month,
and also especially before a long trip.
Check the pressure in all 4 tires when the tires are still cold.
Never reduce air pressure in warm tires to match cold tire infla-
tion pressure.
NOTICE
Make sure not to jam the tire pressure gauge into the valve
stem. Otherwise you can damage both the tire valves and the tire

inflation pressure sensors ⇒  Tire Pressure Monitoring System
(TPMS).
Driving without valve caps, with the wrong valve caps, or with
valve caps that are not properly screwed on can damage the tire
valves and the sensors on the Tire Pressure Monitoring System
⇒  Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS). To help prevent
damage, always use valve stem caps like those originally in-
stalled at the factory. The caps must be screwed on tightly. Do
not use metal valve caps or “comfort” valve stem caps.
Underinflation increases fuel consumption.
There may be differences between the pressure readings from a
tire pressure gauge and the pressures registered by the Tire Pressure
Monitoring System. The electronic Tire Pressure Monitoring System
is more accurate.
When the TPMS warns that the pressure in at least one tire is too
low, check the tire pressure in all 4 tires with an accurate tire pressure
gauge. Low tire pressure usually cannot be spotted by looking at the
tire. This is especially true for low-profile tires. When checking the tire
pressures, refer to ⇒  Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS).
Tire inflation pressure in cold tires

WARNING
Worn tires are dangerous and can cause loss of vehicle control
including serious personal injuries.
Never drive a vehicle when the tread on any tire is worn down
to the wear indicators, replace them sooner.
Worn tires do not grip the road properly, especially on wet
roads, increasing your risk of “hydroplaning” and loss of con-
trol.
Worn tires reduce the ability of your vehicle to handle well in
normal and difficult driving situations and increase braking dis-
tances and the risk of skidding.
Tire wear and damage

WARNING
Improper use of a spare wheel or a compact spare wheel can
cause loss of vehicle control, a crash or other accident, and se-
rious personal injury.
Never use a spare wheel or compact spare wheel if it is dam-
aged or worn down to the wear indicators.
In some vehicles, the spare wheel or compact spare wheel is
smaller than the original tire. A smaller compact spare wheel is
identified with a sticker and the words “50 mph” or “80 km/h”.
This is the maximum permissible speed when driving with this
tire.
Never drive faster than 50 mph (80 km/h) with a compact
spare wheel. Avoid full-throttle acceleration, heavy braking, and
fast cornering!
Never drive more than 125 miles (200 km) if a compact spare
wheel is installed on the front axle (drive axle).
Replace the compact spare with a normal wheel and tire as
soon as possible. Compact spare tires are designed for brief
use only.
Regularly check the U.S. DOT Tire Identification Number (TIN)
to determine the age of the compact spare wheel ⇒  Tire label-
ing. Tires age even if they are not being used and can fail sud-
denly, especially at higher speeds.
Tires that are more than 6 years old can only be used in an
emergency and then with special care and at lower speeds.
The compact spare wheel must always be secured with the
wheel bolts provided by the factory.
Never drive using more than one compact spare wheel.
After installing the compact spare wheel, the tire pressure
must be checked as soon as possible ⇒  Tire inflation pressure.
Snow chains cannot be used on the compact spare wheel. If
you must use snow chains and have a compact spare wheel
mounted, move the compact spare wheel to the rear axle if a
front tire has to be replaced. The tire taken off the rear axle can
then be used to replace the flat front tire. Be sure you do not
change the tire's direction of rotation. Install the snow chains
on the full-sized road tire.

Tire labeling
(example)
Meaning
DOT
The tire complies with the require-
ments of the United States Depart-
ment of Transportation, responsible
for issuing safety standards.
BT Identification letter of the manufactur-
ing site.
RA Manufacturer information regarding
tire dimensions.
TY5 Tire characteristics provided by the
manufacturer.
1709 Manufacturing date: 17th week in
2009.
TWI Marks the position of the treadwear indicator
Made in Germany Country of manufacture.
MAX LOAD 615 KG
(1356 LBS)
United States maximum load rating per
wheel.
MAX INFLATION
350 KPA (51 PSI)
United States maximum permissible inflation
pressure.
ROTATION Rotation direction (unidirectional tires)
SIDEWALL 1 PLY
RAYON
Tire ply composition and materials used:
1 layer of rayon.
TREAD 4 PLIES
1 RAYON + 2 STEEL
+ 1 NYLON
Tire tread composition and materials used:
In this example there are 4 layers under the
tread: 1 layer of rayon, 2 layers of steel belt
and 1 layer of nylon.

Accessory weight
The combined weight (in excess of those standard items which may
be replaced) of automatic transmission, electro-mechanical power
steering, power brakes, power windows, power seats, radio, and
heater, to the extent that these items are available as factory-installed
equipment (whether installed or not).
Aspect ratio
The ratio of sidewall height to tire width, expressed as a percentage.
A number of 70 (0.7:1 or 70%) or lower indicates a low-profile tire with
a shorter sidewall for improved steering response and better overall
handling on dry pavement.
Bead
The part of a tire made of steel wires, wrapped or reinforced by ply
cords, with the shape and structure to ensure proper fit to the wheel
rim.
Bead separation
A breakdown of the bond between components in the bead.
Carcass
The tire structure, except tread and sidewall rubber which, when in-
flated, bears the load.
Chunking
The breaking away of pieces of the tread or sidewall.
Cord
The strands of material forming the plies in the tire.
Cord separation
The parting of cords from adjacent rubber compounds.
Cracking
Any parting within the tread, sidewall, or inner liner of the tire extend-
ing to cord material.
Cold tire inflation pressure
The tire pressure recommended by the vehicle manufacturer for a tire
of a specified size that has not been driven for more than a couple of