panel VOLKSWAGEN GOLF 2012 User Guide

N
The fine dust created when airbags deploy
can cause breathing problems for people
w ith asthma or other breathing conditions.
To red uce the risk of breath ing problems ,
those with asthma or other respiratory condi-lions shoul d g et fresh air right away by get-ling out of the vehicle or opening windows or doors.
you are in a
the residue should ge t your eyes, flush them with water .
Airbags that have deployed in a c rash must be replaced .
by a
tra ined technician who has the necessary tools and diagnostic equipment to properly replace any airbag on your vehicle and as-sure system effectiveness in a crash .
Never permit sa lvag ed or recycled airbags to be in your vehicle .
Advanced Airbag
tory information and heed the WARN­on pag e 82 .
Th e fro nt pass e
nger sea t in yo ur vehicl e has a
Und eployed air bag modules and safety pre tensione rs are cla ssified as Perchlora te
Material . handli ng may
requ irements regarding
h andl ing and disp osal of the veh icle or parts of it s
r estraint system , includ ing airbag modu les and
safe ty
S ervice Faci lit ies are
The front Advanced Airbag System also includes:
Crash senso rs i n the fr on t o f the veh ic le tha t measur e vehicle accelera tio n/dece le ratio n to p ro­
vide inf ormation to the Adva nce d Airbag Syste m
a bo ut the seve rity o f th e crash .
An elec troni c cont ro l u nit , w ith i nte gra te d crash
senso rs for front and side im pacts . T he co ntr ol unit
" decides " whe ther
to fire jus t the front airbags
base d on t he info rm ation recei ved from the crash
sensors . Th e con trol unit also "dec id es " whe ther the safety belt pretensi one rs shou ld be activated .
An Advanced Airbag with ga s generator inside
the steering
An Adva nced Airbag with gas generato r inside
th e in str u men t panel for th e f ro nt passenger .
Sitting properly and safely

The airba g system is not a substitute for your Rather, it is part of the occ upa nt straint sys tem in your vehicle
is import ant to remem ber that the side airbag
s ys tem is desig ned t o help re duce the like lihood of
ser io us injury . H owever , it is importa nt to ber th a t a deploying airbag may also cau se other
i njur ies, su ch as bruisin g, fric tio n burns ,
a nd abr asions . A lso re m ember th a t side airbags
if the ignit ion is sw itch ed off when a crash
in side ured by the sensor is too tow,
in fron t-en d co llisio ns,
in rear -e n d
in rollove rs , unless the deployme nt th reshold
fo r dep loyment stored in the co ntrol unit is met.
so me t ypes of accide nts the fron t airbags , Curtai n Protection ® airbags and side airb a gs ma y
b e t rigge re d t ogether.
An inflating side airbag can cause serious or even fatal injury.
To help reduce the risk of injury when the
supplemental side airbag inflates ,
-
Always sit in an upright position and do not lean against the area where the side
airbag is located.
- Never
let a child or anyone else rest their head against the side trim panel in the area where the side airbag inflates.
-
Always make sure that safety belts are worn correctly.
- Nev er
let anyone sitting in the front seat put their hand out of the window.
on the seat backrests
gerously through the passenger ment and cause serious Injury if the mental side airbag inflates.
any children or other passengers to ride in that space.
coat hooks for thing but lightweight clothing. Never leave any heavy or sharp-edged objects in the pockets.
sonal injury a
Improper use, repair , or disassembly of the driver and front passenger seats can prevent side airbags from working property and result in severe injuries.
seat covers or
ests that have not been specifically
ately by an authorized Volkswagen dealer or authorized Volkswagen
ing damaged by heavy objects hitting the sides of the seat backre sts or force being put on the seat backs, especially in the area
where the side airbag module is located .

Adaptive Front Lighting
The Adaptive Front Lighting works only
with the low beams switched on and only at
speeds above about 6 mph
improve road
vehicles equipped with the Adaptive Front
Lighting the feature is switched on and off
via the Assistant menu
the roadway. Th e headlights re­
t urn to their original position after a delay , depend­
in g on the speed of the
Crashes and other accidents can happen when you cannot see the road ahead and when you cannot be seen by other motorists.
not be able to see
f a r enough ahead for safety, especially at dusk or when it is dark . Always switch on the low-beam headlights at dusk or when it is dark.
The taillights do not come on when the daytime running lights are switched on. Ave­hicle without
cool or hum id weather, th e insides of th e headlights , th e rea r li ghts, and turn signals
can temporarily fog up. This is normal and does
not affect the service life
of the vehic le's lightin g
system. <J
tory information and h ee d the WARN­on page 122.
Instrument panel lighting
Whe n the lights are on, the brightness of the in­
strument panel lighting is ad justed by turning the
thumbwhee l
Instrument cluster brightness
Whe n t he lights are sw itched on, you can adjust
the brightness of the in strument cluster li ghting by turning the thumbw hee l
Before driving
some vehicles with daytime running lights
(DRL), the instrument lighting switches on
need to
switch the head lights on
turn on
the headlight range is
Headlights that are aimed to o high because of the way the vehicle is loaded can blind and distract other drivers. This can lead to a
crash and serious per sonal injuries.
Always adjust headlights to loading condi-tions so that they do not blind others. <l

Transporting
Driving tips
this sectio n
Always stow heavy objects in the luggage partment and make sure tha t the rear seat ests are securely latched. Always use the downs in the luggage compartment and secu re th e
ob jects with suita ble straps. Neve r ove rload the
hic le . R emember that the vehicle load, as
More information:
Rear hatch 49
Folding down the passenger seat backrest
Lights page 122
Luggage compartment 141
Roof rack 146
Trailer towing 149
Tires and wheels 258
Unsec ured or incorrectly stowed items can fly through the vehicle, causing serious
senger compartment by the front airbags if they To help reduce the risk of se riou s
per sonal injury:
strument panel.
nothing on
the front passenger seat when the backrest is folded forward. When the backrest is folded
forward, even
85.
scat that is
blocked by objects being carried
H eavy loads will cle handle s and increase stopping distances.
Heavy lo ads that are not properly stowed or secured can cause loss of control and ous injury.
the luggage compartment as possible.
-
Always tie down h eavy items securely with su itabl e strap s using the tie-downs in the luggage compartment.
Tran sporting

Buttons, More information: AC 121, and 122,
knobs
defrost button. Airflow is direc ted to the windshield. Recirc u lation mode switches off autom atically in thi s position. th e w indshie ld as q u ick ly as possib le. The coolin g sys te m sw itc hes on automat ica lly to dehu mid ify th e a ir.
Climatronic: D efog de frost button. The incom ing outside air i s d irected to th e w inds hie ld, a nd a ir rec irc ulatio n aut omat ically switches off. To defrost th e winds hie ld as quickly as pos -humi dity is removed from the air at temperatu res above approximately 38 °F (3 is set to a hig h speed .
Air dist ribution to th e upper instrument panel outlets.
Air di strib ution in th e
Climatronic: Air is d irected upward.
Press the bu tton to switch the air conditioni ng system on or off.
Rea r wi ndow defroster: fu nc tions
A ir reci rculat io n m od e 212.
Sw it c hing off.
Climatronic: Pr ess to bu tton lights up.
Combines te mperat ure settings for the driver side with the passenger side:
DUAL
th e in di cato r
High (h igh fan speed) fu nc tion switches on. The right indicator
ligh t in th e button turns on.
Pre ss the button again: the Low blower speed) fu nction switches on. The
Ne ver switch off the fa n for an extended period of time, since no fres h a ir ente r
__
Air conditioner operation
Please first read and note the introduc ­tory information and heed the WARN­on page
While d rivi ng T
h e coo ling system for the passenger compart­
ment

Air vents
Fig. 123 the instr ument panel : Air vents.
Plea se first read and note the lntroduc­
on page
Air vents
To help ensure sufficie nt heating , cool ing and ven­tilat ion in the passenger compartment , neve r close
the air ven ts complete ly 123.
T o open and close the air vents, turn the
thu mbwhee l in the desir e d direc tio n.
direction.
Additional air ven ts are loca ted in the
as as in the rear area of the passenger compart­
ment.
Air
on pag e
G en era l information
air recircula tion mode , outside air is prevented
from entering the vehicle inte rior .
button is pressed, and the air
dist ribution switc h is tu rned to
Switching air recirculation on and off
Switching o n : Press the
until the indica to r light in the button goes out.
driving
Do not place food, medic ations, or other heat­
s en sitive things in front of the air vents. Food ,
m ed ication s, and other thing s that are sensitiv e
t o heat or cold can be dama ged or made unus­abl e by the air
Th e air comi ng o ut of th e ve nts through
Sta le air c auses driver fatigue and reduces driver al ertness, which can caus e accidents,
collisions a nd serious personal injury.
ente r the passeng er compa rtm ent.
off a nd recir­culatio n m ode is on , conden sation can quick­ly form on the windows and greatly reduce visibility.
Alwa ys switch off recircula tion mode when it is not n ee ded .

Care and
on page 251.
Moisten a lint-free cloth wi th wa ter and clean the parts .
wood trim wit h a mild soap solution .
Please first rea d and note the tory on page 251.
a safety belt is dirty, this can prevent the belt
f r om working prope rly. Ke ep safety belts clean and
r eg ularl y check
ing .
Rem ove coarse dirt with a soft brush
the dirty safety belt out of the
After cleaning, always give the safety belts time to dry thorough ly before letting them retract. Thi s
helps prevent damage to the retractor .
Do not let the safe ty belts retract until they are
complete ly dry .
Damage to safety belts reduces their effectiveness and increases the risk of ous pers onal injury and death wh enever the
veh icle being use d .
256 cleaning, maintenance
Using solvents or other improper cleaning products on surfaces where airbags are cated can change the way alrbags deploy in a
c rash .
ment panel , use only a soft, dry cloth or a cloth moistened with pla in water. <l
the condition of
N eve r use chemical cleaning agents,
After cleaning, always give the safety
belts time to dry completely before letting
them retract . The moisture can damage the retractor and keep it from working properly.
to the safety belt latch . This could prevent the belt buckles and safety belts from working properly.
any way.

on the steering wheel, in­strument panel, backre sts or between these
a reas and the occupant. objects could cause serious injury in a
phone or and sepa­
rate outside antenna can be dangerous to
Fig. 14 3 Front point for work sh op hoist or floor
jack .
tory information and heed the WARN­on page 283 .
The 143 an d 144 . the is lift e d at diff erent po ints, dam ­
age and ser io us injuri es ma y occur
Works hop hois ts that use fluid cushion s ( rece iving
platfo rms) must n ot be used for lifti ng t he
There are many precautions that have to be fol­
lowed when lifting a vehicl e on a workshop hoist or
your health and that of your passengers be­
cause th e e lectromagnetic radiation energy
that phones and limits. This a lso p roperly.
Always keep the em) away from pacemak­
e rs. Heart phones can adverse ly affect the way pacemakers work.
Never carry a phone that is switched on the breast pocket directly over a pace­
maker .
you suspect there may be Interference with a pacemaker or other medical device, switch the phone off immediately.
Fig. 144 Rea r lift point for works hop hois t or floor jack .
I n formation about liftin g t
he veh icle with the
Improper ly your vehicl e with a work­shop hoist or floor jack can cause the vehicle to off and ca use serious per son al Injury.
Always read and heed the operating structions from the floor jack manufacturer and legal regulations if necessary before us­ing th e floor jack to the vehicle .
Never let anyone stay in the vehicle whe n
Vehicle care and maint enanc e

Fuses in the vehicle
Fig. 165 th e drive r side in the instrument el : Fuse box cove r with plastic tweeze rs on the
inside of t he cover .
on page 317.
Replace a blown fuse only with a fuse
of the same
ampe rage (same color and same impri nt) and
same overa ll size .
Fu
se colo r coding
Blu e
15
Whi te or c lear
25
Green
Orange
Opening the fuse box in t h e instrument
panel
1 65
( m agnified view) and care fully lift off the cover .
To guide the cover from the bottom into
the instrument panel and push until you can hear it
latch int o place .
318 Do it you rself Fi
g. 166
the release buttons forward in the 166 to unlock the fuse box
cover.
Remove the cover upward.
To place the cover on the fuse box.
th em p rope rly.
fuse boxes must be protecte d from dirt an d moisture. Dirt an d moisture in fu se
boxes can cause damage to the elect rica l tem .
The vehic le con tai ns other fu ses in add it ion to those mentioned in this section . H av e
these fuses replaced by an autho rized Volkswage n
dealer or an autho rized Volkswagen Facili -

of the vehic le . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
Braking assistan ce sy ste ms . . . . . . . 185
Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283, 284
Acoustic warnings Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Warning and indicator lights . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Adapti ve Front Lighting Dynami c . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Adjusting Electr ically ad justable front seat . . . .
. . . 63 sea ting position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
a nd child restrain ts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........... ..................... 126
Afte rm arket equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
Aftermar ket installation ph one . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
R adio equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
Aftermarket installations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
Airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Adva nced Airbag s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Advanced Airbag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
C le a ning the instrument panel . . . . . . . . . 256
D ea ctivation by we ight -sensing mat . . . . . 97
Deactivation
of passenger front airbag . . . 97
Descr ipt ion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Front airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Fun ction ality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Locking ve h icle afte r inflatio n . . . . . . . . . . . 42
airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 Curt ain airbags . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . conside rations 211
Air conditioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Climatron ic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Man ual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Air recirculation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Fun ctio nality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
off.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Air vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212 Alarm button in vehicle key
. . . . . . . . . . 248
Anodized surfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
Antenna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
Anti-Lock Brake . . . . . . . . . 185
. . . . . . . . . 186 , 187
Anti-th eft alarm system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Descr iption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Anti-th e
ft wheel bolts .....•.... 311
Antifreeze agent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Armrest.................. ...... ...... 66
braking assistan ce syste ms . . . . . . . 187 Braking assistan ce sy ste ms . . . . . . . 186 on and off... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
A ss ista nce
systems Anti -Lock Brake . . . . . . . . 185 Regulation (ASR )........ 186, 187
Br ake Assi st . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Brak e Ass ist
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185 ccs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
C ru ise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197 Elect ronic Diff eren tial Lock (EDL) . . . . . . 186 Ele ct ronic Stabil it y Cont rol . . . . . . 185 H old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195 nre button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Auto-dimming inside mirror . . . . . . . . 134 Autom atic load deactivation...... . . . . . 241
Autom atic Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . 175 Automatic transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Dir ect . . . . . . 177 Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177 Driving on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177 Emergency release for the sele cto r lever
l ock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .