Rear VOLKSWAGEN GOLF 2012 Repair Manual

An improperly or incorrect trailer hitch can cause a trailer to separate from the tow vehicle and cause serious personal ries.
you don't have to tow a trailer any more, remove the entire trailer hitch. Always seal bolt holes to prevent water and deadly haust fum es from getting into the vehicle .
the trailer lights are not connected ly, the ve hicle 's ele ctronics may be damaged .
Hitching up and connecting a trailer
on page 149.
Safety chains
Always make sure t hat the safe ty c hai ns a re er ly attac hed to the tow ing ve hic le. Leave enough
s lack in the chain s so th a t yo u ca n go aroun d ners witho ut stre tc hin g the c hai ns. Th e safe ty
c h ai ns must not drag on the groun d, h owever .
Trailer
mum power consumptio n for th e traile r
connections to the vehicle electrical system can cause malfunctions that affect the entire vehicle electrical system, which can lead to accide nts and se rious personal injury.
Loading the trailer
tory information and heed the WARN -on page 149.
the trail er uses too much electricity, the vehicle's electronics may be damaged.
Never connect the electrical system for the trailer directly to the electrical connections for the rear lights or to any other unsuitable power sources. Us e only a suitable connector to vide power to the trailer.
if you tow a trailer freq uently, recom mends havi ng t he vehicle serviced
tervals because of the extr a load it has to pu ll.
some countries an addit ional fire guisher must be carried if the tota l weig ht of
the traile r excee ds 5 ,5 12 lbs. kg ). <l
tions for the rear lights or to any other able power source s. Use only a suitable nector to provide power to the trailer.
Never attach a
trailer to the vehicle or leave it attached to the vehicle when the trailer is
things (such as a change in trailer or vehicle
load or a fla t tire ) can lower or raise the vehicle. This subjects the trailer hitch and the trailer to strong forces that can damage the ve h icle or the trailer.
the engin e is swi tc h ed off and accessories in the tr ailer are o n and use elec tricity from
the vehicl e, th e ve hicl e battery be drained as
l o ng as t he e lec trical sys te m s o f th e an d
the t railer are c onn ecte d . <l
Transporting 151

Maximum permissible
The tong ue load or tongue weight is the load pressing down on the
trailer hitch 156 .
T he maximum permissible trailer weight and
tongue weight for your vehic le are listed on
the vehicle -specific ures are listed in the official vehic le documents .
Spec ifications in officia l vehicle documents always
take precedence.
To help ensure optimum handling and driving ty, Volkswagen recommends always using the
maximum permissible tongue weight. the
tongue weight is too low, the vehicle and trailer will
not handle as well.
T ongue weight increases the load on the rear axle
and , in turn , reduces the remain
ing load your
trailer and must never be retrofitted to tow a
Class trai ler. Always make sure that your vehicle
has been designed to tow the trailer you want to
use and that it is legal to tow the trailer where you
will be driving .
Loading the
The weight distribution in th e vehicle and traile r
must be balanced. Use the maximum permissible
tongue weight and make sure that the load in the
trailer is evenly distributed and th at it
is not heavy or tail-h eavy:
Driving with a trailer
on page 149.
152 Before driving
Distribute the load in the trailer so that heavy
objects are directly above the axle or as close as
possible to the axle.
258.
able, undamaged straps that can be tightened so that the load cannot shift. <l
Headlight settings
Towing a trai le r can ra ise the front end of the

mount support .
tory Information and heed the on page 149.
Your vehicle
is not equipped with a trai ler hitch or p reparations for the in stalla tion of a trailer hitch. tf
you must tow a trailer , you must have the
ry electrical wiring and socket together with a Because towing a traile r
pl aces a great dea l of stress on the vehicle, the
sions of the receive r and
ometry and size . T his app lies to both the height of th e above the surface where it attaches
m ount
and m ake sure that th ey meet th e
The drop height ® from the center of the
The distance @from the center of
the
T he
Never izing " trailer hitch on your vehicle . T he vehicle is
not designed for this kind of trailer hitch .
An improperly or unsuitable trailer hitch can cau se the trailer to s eparate from the towing vehicle and result in a major acci-dent with serious personal injuries.
carrier when you are not towing a trailer.
cle was not designed to tow heavier trailers with a receiver larger than the specified ball.
The increased loads can damage the
ment points for the trailer hitch.
Never use an adapter to the size of the trailer hitch receiver from 1 1
/4 inches (32 mm) to 2
weight that your vehicle can tow.
You can use an adapter if require d for the proper ins ta llation of a bicycle rack or o th er similar carrier as long as the maximum weight limits are observed . When using bicyc le rack s or simil a r carri ers, mak e sure th at the rear lights are not blo cked .
use trail er hitches that are approved by the hitch manufacturer for your vehicle and
model.

Storage compartment in the rear center console
Fig. 98
the luggage compartment:
on page 157 .
Storag e compartments in the luggag e compartment
Add itiona l storage compartments are located in the
sides of the luggage compartment. The side
els can be re m ove d by pushing upward in the rec tion of the arrow 99 to make room for er objects in the luggage compartment.
Before driving
on p ag e 157 .
T her e is a storage compartment for stowing
objects 98 in the back of the center conso le. <l
Additional storage:
Pockets in the back rests of the fron t seats .
ment 14 1.
C lothes or other items on the shelf behind the rea r sea t backres t m ay limit visibility, a nd
ca use acci dents a nd seve re person al injuries.
Alw ays ha ng c loth es so th at th ey do not lim it v isibility.

this section find information about:
Cup holde rs
in the fro nt center console . . . . . 161
Cup holde rs in the rear center armrest . . . . . . 162
Beverage bottle holders
There is a place for bottles in the open
care and cleaning 251
use of bever age holders can cause injuries.
Make certain that bottles or other items cannot
Hot or freezing te mperatures in the
The c.up holder inserts can be removed for cleanrng . <l
the front center conso le : holders .
on page 161.
Using cup holder
Place the drink in the cup holde r <l
Storage and equipment 161

Shifting
Introduction
this section find information about:
Warning
and i ndicator ... .. . .
Pedals
............. ........... .
Manual transmission: Gearshift lever
172
173
174
Automat ic transm ission :
lever.... 175
Sh ifting with nptro nic ® . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Driving with automatic transmiss ion 177
Automat ic transmission malfunction . . . . . . . . 178
Explanatory
notes in this sec tion regarding
Direct
The backup lights come on.
Climatronic switches to air culation mode.
The rear window wiper switches on when the
windshield wipers are switched on.
More information:
Braking , stoppi ng and parking 179
Climate control
Engine control and emission control system
Emergency
Rapid acceleration can cause skidding and loss of traction , especially on slippery roads,
re sulting in a loss of vehicle control, sions, and seriou s personal injury.
use the kick-down feature or fast cele ration if visibility, weather, road, and
Constant braking causes the brakes to and se rious personal injury.
the brakes or apply the brake
pedal too often or too long.
substantially reduce braking performance, increase stopping
the brakes by keeping your foot on the brake pedal when you do not want to brake . Thi s make the brakes wear faster.
gine braking and reduce the load on the brakes. Otherwise , the brake system could overheat and even

Failure to heed warning lights or t ex t WARN-can result in vehicle damage . <l
Parking brake
Fig. 113 Between the front seats :
on page 179.
the parking brake lever up firmly.
When the ignition is on , the indicator or appears in the instrume nt c luster display to show th at the park ing brake is engaged
the leve r up 113 (arrow) .
While hold ing the release button down, move
t h e lever t he way down.
Parking
Ple ase firs t r ea d and note the introduc­tory info rm ation and heed the WARN­on pa ge 179.
note legal regulations when stopping and
parking your vehicle.
Parking the vehicle
p erform these steps only in the order listed.
the vehicle on a suitab le surface
the rear wheels are braked . Always
use the foot bra ke.
engag ed. This c an cause the brak e to over­
heat and neg ati vely affec t the b rak e sys te m .
start to move even if the parking brake is e ngag ed .
Even
though the tra nsmission is in P ark (P),
t h e vehi cle may move a couple of inche s (a fe w
c entimeters) forwards or backwards if you take
your f oot off the brake pedal after stopping the
ve hicl e without fir s t firmly setting the parking
b rake .
A warning signal sounds if you drive faster
Apply t he parking brake to 182.
For automatic transmissions : (P).
Remove the vehicle key from the igni tion.
necessary , turn the steer ing whee l to
e ngage the steer ing column lock.

Climate control system (air cond itioner): th e
trast ing temperatures , it requires a large amount of energy, which is genera ted by the engine. The
tempe ratu re in the shou ld therefore not be
ext remely different from that of the outside ature . may be to venti la te the veh icle fore driving and then to drive a short distance with
the windows open. After that, sw itch on the air
Keep the
windows increase fuel consumption.
off the rear window defroste r as soon as
t he windows are free of fog and ice.
14
miles
Fi g.
116 F uel consumption in mpg at 2 different
outside air temperatures .
on page 189.
D riving defensive
ly and economica lly can easily duce fuel cons umptio n by to 15%.
The veh icle consumes the most fuel when ating. Defensive driving requires less braking and
ther efore less acceleration. possibl e, coast the
vehicle to a stop , for example, when you can see that the next traffic light is red or about to turn red.
Avoid traveling short distances
A co ld engine consumes sign ificantly more fuel media tely after starting .
consumption (examples):
Malfunction ing eng ine control.
Drivi ng in the mountain s.
T owing a tra iler.
-1
Fig. 117 Fuel consumption in ent outside air temperatures .
To reduce fuel consumption and the emission of
ature. Criti cal in thi s con te xt is also the outside air temperature.
T herefo re , avoid driving short distances sarily and consolidate routes.
Un der the same conditions , the veh icle consumes
more fuel in winte r tha n in summer.
in some places, but also not neces -
<l
sary and wastes fuel.

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 .

Washing the vehicle
tory information and heed the on page 243 .
T he longer insect splatter , bird droppings, tree sap,
r oad dirt , indust rial deposits , tar , soot , road
and othe r aggressive materials stay on your cle, the more damage they do to the paint finish.
H igh temperatures (includi ng strong sunlight)
oughly.
Car wash
Pay close attention to the information provided
by the car wash operator . B efo re goi ng throu gh a
ca r was h, b e s ure to take th e usual precautio ns t o
avoid damag e , such as closi ng the windows ,
The paint finish is toug h enough th at the vehicle can
the wheels and under the door
After the vehi cle ha s been washed , the wet brakes or, in winter, brake discs or pads ed with ice, react slower and need longer stopping distances .
WARNING
Always dry the brakes and clean off any ice coatings with a few careful applications of the brake . Make sure not to endanger other motorists or cyclists or disobey legal require-
ments .
edges under the vehicl e can cut ex-
posed skin.
Always protect your hands and arms from cuts on sharp metal edges when cleaning the under-body , the inside of the wheel housings,
etc.
The water temperature must not be more
than
Ne ver clean headlights with a dry cloth or sponge . Always use a w et cloth o r s ponge . For best result s use soapy water.
When washing or rinsing the vehicle in cold weather , do not
cult to open the vehicle!
To help prevent vehicle damage
in a car wash:
in the car wash to help prevent damage to wheel rims and tires!
Make sure there is enough clearance for the
height and width of the vehic le .
To help prevent paint damage to the engine
hood, place wiper blades against the shield after they have dried. Do not let them
snap back into place .
Lock the rear hatch to prevent unintentional
opening in the car wa sh . <J