towing VOLKSWAGEN CC 2008 Owners Manual

Front view

Fig. 2 Vehicle front overview.
Key to ⇒ fig. 2:
(1) Inside mirror with sensor on the mirror base for:
– Rain sensor
– Low-light sensor
(2) Windshield wipers
(3) Engine hood release
(4) Headlights (on both left and right)
(5) Fog lights/static cornering lights (on both left and right)
(6) Threaded hole for the front towing eye (behind cover)
(7) Headlight washers (on both left and right)
(8) Park Distance Control (PDC) sensors (on both left and right, if
equipped)

Rear view

Fig. 3 Vehicle rear overview.
Key to ⇒ fig. 3:
(1) Rear window:
– Rear window defroster
– Rear window antenna
(2) High-mounted brake light
(3) Taillights (on both left and right)
(4) Volkswagen emblem. Area for:
– Luggage compartment release
– Rear Assist camera (if equipped)
(5) Threaded hole for the rear towing eye (behind cover)
(6) Roof antenna
(7) Park Distance Control (PDC) sensors (on both left and right, if
equipped)
(8) Area for attaching a trailer hitch

d Secure animals in the vehicle with a system that corresponds to
their weight and size.
WARNING
Always observe traffic rules and posted speed limits and use
common sense. Your good judgment can mean the difference
between arriving safely at your destination and being seriously
injured in a crash or other kind of accident.
Regular service and maintenance of your vehicle is important
both for operational and driving safety and to help prolong your vehi-
cle's service life. Always follow the scheduled maintenance intervals
in the ⇒ Booklet Warranty and Maintenance, especially for changing
the brake fluid. Hard use, frequent stop-and-go driving, driving in very
dusty areas, trailer towing, and other factors may make it necessary
to have the vehicle serviced more frequently. Ask an authorized
Volkswagen dealer or an authorized Volkswagen Service Facility for
more information.
Driving in other countries

WARNING
Heavy loads will influence the way your vehicle handles and
increase stopping distances. Heavy loads that are not properly
stowed or secured can cause loss of control and serious injury.
Secure the load properly to keep it from shifting.
Always remember when transporting heavy objects that a
change in the center of gravity also changes the way your vehi-
cle handles:
– Always distribute the load as evenly as possible.
– Secure heavy objects properly as far forward in the lug-
gage compartment as possible.
– Always tie down heavy items securely with suitable straps
using the tie-downs in the luggage compartment.
Securely latch the rear seat backrest in the upright position.
Never exceed the Gross Axle Weight Rating or the Gross Ve-
hicle Weight Rating on the safety compliance sticker on the left
door jamb. Exceeding permissible weight can cause the vehicle
to skid and handle differently.
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.
Always accelerate gently and avoid sudden braking and driv-
ing maneuvers.
Always brake earlier than you would if you were not driving a
loaded vehicle.
Stowing luggage

Secure luggage in the luggage compartment using suitable straps
and the tie downs ⇒ Tie-downs. Also see ⇒  Luggage compartment.
Adjust the headlight range, if necessary ⇒  Lights.
Check the pressure in all 4 tires when the tires are still cold. Never
reduce air pressure in warm tires to match cold tire inflation pressure.
Heed the information on the tire pressure label ⇒  Tires and wheels.
Pay especially close attention to your vehicle's Tire Pressure Moni-
toring System when driving with a heavy load ⇒ Tire Pressure Moni-
toring System (TPMS).
NOTICE
Wires in the rear windows such as for heating or for an antenna
can be damaged by objects that rub against them.
Please review the information on loading a trailer⇒ Trailer towing
and a roof rack ⇒  Roof rack.
Driving with an open luggage compartment lid

Brake earlier than you would if you were not driving a loaded vehi-
cle.
If applicable, observe information about driving with a trailer ⇒ 
Trailer towing.
If applicable, observe information about driving with a roof rack ⇒ 
Roof rack.
WARNING
Heavy loads can change the way your vehicle handles and in-
crease stopping distances. Heavy loads that are not properly
stowed or secured can shift suddenly, causing loss of control
and serious injury.
Secure the load properly to keep it from shifting.
Always remember when transporting heavy objects that they
change the vehicle's center of gravity and also the way it han-
dles.
– Always distribute the load as evenly as possible.
– Secure heavy objects as far forward in the luggage com-
partment as possible.
– Secure luggage in the luggage compartment using suitable
straps and the tie downs ⇒ Tie-downs. Also see ⇒  Luggage
compartment.
Always tie down heavy items securely with suitable straps.
Securely latch the rear seat backrest in the upright position.
Never exceed the Gross Axle Weight Rating or the Gross Ve-
hicle Weight Rating on the safety compliance sticker on the left
door jamb. Exceeding permissible weight can cause the vehicle
to skid and handle differently.
Always adapt speed and driving to the heavier load and the
weight distribution in the vehicle. Take road, weather, traffic,
and visibility conditions into account as well.
Always accelerate gently and avoid sudden braking and driv-
ing maneuvers.
Always brake earlier than you would if you were not driving a
loaded vehicle.

Trailer towing

Starting assistance systems
Parts, accessories, repairs and modifications
WARNING
Riding in a trailer is dangerous and may be illegal.
WARNING
Improper use of the trailer hitch can cause accidents and inju-
ries. An improperly installed, incorrect, or damaged trailer hitch
can cause the trailer to separate from the towing vehicle and
cause serious personal injuries.
Only use an undamaged, properly mounted trailer hitch.
Never repair or modify the trailer hitch.
To reduce the risk of injury in rear-end collisions, and the risk
to pedestrians and cyclists when the vehicle is parked, always
remove the ball mount when you are not towing a trailer.
Never install a “weight distributing” or “load equalizing”
trailer hitch on your vehicle. The vehicle was not designed for
these kinds of trailer hitches. The trailer hitch attachment can
fail, causing the trailer to tear loose from the vehicle.

WARNING
Improper trailer towing can cause loss of vehicle control and
serious personal injury.
Driving with a trailer and carrying heavy or large things can
change the way the vehicle handles, increase the distance it
needs to stop safely, and cause accidents.
Always secure the load properly with suitable and undam-
aged straps so that the load will not shift.
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.
Trailers with a high center of gravity tip more easily than
trailers with a low center of gravity.
Always avoid sudden maneuvers and hard braking.
Be especially careful when passing other vehicles.
Reduce speed immediately if the trailer shows the slightest
sign of swaying.
Never try to stop the swaying by accelerating.
Always obey speed limits. In some areas, the speed limits for
vehicles towing trailers are lower than for vehicles without
trailers. Never drive faster than 50 mph (80 km/h; under excep-
tional circumstances 60 mph - 100 km/h) when towing a trailer.
This applies even if the local speed limit is higher.
If you are driving a new vehicle or a vehicle with a new or rebuilt
engine, do not tow a trailer during the break-in period, about
600 miles (1000 km) ⇒  Parts, accessories, repairs, and modifica-
tions.
If you tow a trailer, your vehicle may need maintenance more
often because of the extra load it has to move.
When you are not towing, remove the trailer hitch ball. This helps
keep the trailer hitch from causing damage to your vehicle and to oth-
ers if your vehicle is hit from behind.

Combined towing weight
Combined towing weight is the weight of the loaded towing vehicle
plus the weight of the loaded trailer.
This vehicle has not been designed to tow a Class II trailer and must
never be retrofitted to tow a Class II trailer. 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 trailer
The weight distribution in the vehicle and trailer must be balanced.
Use the maximum permissible tongue weight and make sure that the
load in the trailer is evenly distributed and that it is not front-heavy or
tail-heavy:
Distribute the load in the trailer so that heavy objects are directly
above the axle or as close as possible to the axle.
Secure loads properly on the trailer.
Tire pressure
Always follow the trailer manufacturer's tire pressure recommenda-
tions for the trailer tires.
When towing, inflate the towing vehicle's tires to the maximum per-
missible pressure listed on the tire pressure label ⇒ Tire inflation
pressure.
WARNING
Exceeding the gross weight ratings for axle, tongue, vehicle,
trailer or combined weight can cause accidents and serious
personal injury.
Never exceed the specified values.
Never let the actual weights at the front and rear axles exceed
the Gross Axle Weight Rating. Never let the combined front and
rear weights exceed the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating.