warning lights VOLKSWAGEN E-GOLF 2019 Owner's Guide

WARNING
The electric motor compartment of any motor vehicle is a potentially dangerous area and can cause serious personal injury.
x Always use extreme caution when doing any work in the electric motor compartment. Always follow commonly accepted safety practices and use common sense. Never risk per-sonal injury.
x Never perform any work in the electric motor compartment unless you know exactly how to carry out the job and have the correct technical information and the correct tools.
x If you are uncertain about what to do, have the work performed by an authorized Volkswagen dealer, an authorized Volkswagen Service Facility, or another qualified work-shop. Serious personal injury may result from improperly performed work.
x We strongly recommend that you always have HID – High Intensity Discharge (Xenon) headlights and H7 bulbs replaced by a qualified technician. Serious personal injury may re-sult from improperly performed work.
x Never open or close the electric motor hood if steam or coolant is escaping. Hot steam or coolant can cause serious burns. Always wait until you no longer see or hear steam or cool-ant escaping from the electric motor.
x Always let the electric motor cool down completely before carefully opening the hood.
x Hot parts of the electric motor and the exhaust system will burn skin on contact.
x When the electric motor has cooled down and you are ready to open the hood:
– Firmly apply the parking brake and shift the transmission into Park (P) (automatic) or Neutral (manual only).
– Take the vehicle key out of the ignition.
– On vehicles with Keyless Access, make sure that the remote control vehicle key is out of range of the vehicle and that the vehicle cannot be started by depressing the starter
button ⇒  Unlocking or locking the vehicle with Keyless Access.
– Always keep children and others away from the electric motor compartment and never leave them unsupervised.
x The electric motor coolant system is under pressure when the electric motor is hot. Never unscrew the coolant expansion tank cap when the electric motor is hot. Hot coolant can spray out and cause severe burns and other serious injuries.
– Turn the cap slowly and very carefully in a counterclockwise direction while applying light downward pressure on the top of the cap.
– Always protect your face, hands, and arms from hot escaping coolant or steam by covering the cap with a large, thick rag.
x Never spill fluids on the electric motor or exhaust system when refilling. Spilling fluids onto hot parts of the electric motor or exhaust system can cause a fire.

WARNING
High voltage systems in the electric motor compartment can cause electrical shocks or even electrocution, severe burns, other serious injuries, and even death!
x Never short-circuit the electrical system. Be especially careful when using jumper cables. The vehicle's battery could explode!
x To reduce the risk of electrical shock and personal injury while the electric motor is acti-vated:
– Never touch ignition cables. Never touch other components of the high voltage elec-tronic ignition system.
– Never touch the wiring of the HID – High Intensity Discharge (Xenon) headlights.
x Read and heed the important information and warnings on cleaning the electric motor
compartment ⇒  Cleaning the electric motor compartment.
WARNING
Moving parts in the electric motor compartment can cause serious personal injury on con-tact.
x Never reach into the area around or touch the radiator fan. Contact with the blades can cause serious personal injury. Always remember that the radiator fan is temperature-controlled and can come on suddenly even when the electric motor has been switched off for a while and the key has been removed from the ignition.
x If you have to perform a check or repair when the electric motor is activated, there are more risks from the rotating parts, such as the drive belts, alternator, radiator fan, etc., and from the high-voltage ignition system. Always use extreme care.
– Always make sure that jewelry, loose clothing and long hair do not get caught in rotat-ing electric motor parts. Before starting any work remove your jewelry, take off your neck-tie, tie back and cover your hair, and do not wear clothing that can hang down and get caught in moving electric motor parts.
– Always use extreme caution if the accelerator pedal has to be depressed to perform a check. The vehicle will start to move even if the parking brake is on.
x Never leave any objects in the electric motor compartment, for example cleaning rags and tools. Objects left behind can cause malfunctions, electric motor damage, and even fires.
WARNING
Additional materials in the electric motor compartment such as blankets can interfere with the operation of the electric motor and can cause fires, which can lead to serious injuries.
x Never cover the electric motor with blankets or other materials.
WARNING
Operating fluids and some materials in the electric motor compartment can catch fire easily, causing burns and other serious personal injuries!
x Never smoke near the electric motor compartment.
x Never work next to open flames or sparks.
x Never pour or spill operating fluids or other flammable liquids on the electric motor. These fluids can ignite on hot electric motor parts and cause injuries.
x Always have a functional, approved fire extinguisher nearby.

Under normal driving conditions, the needle should be in the middle of the gauge. The temperature may go higher when the electric motor is working hard, especially in hot weather.
When the ignition is switched on, several warning and indicator lights come on briefly for a function check. They go out after a few seconds.
The following table explains what to do if the electric motor coolant temperature warning light ~ does not go out a few seconds after the electric motor is started or starts flashing while driving.

Flashes8 Possible cause Proper response
~
Electric motor coolant
temperature too high.

WARNING
After the vehicle has been washed, the wet brakes or, in winter, brake discs or pads coated with ice, react slower and need longer stopping distances.
x 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 requirements.
CAUTION
Sharp edges under the vehicle can cut exposed skin.
x Always protect your hands and arms from cuts on sharp metal edges when cleaning the underbody, the inside of the wheel housings, etc.
NOTICE
x The water temperature must not be more than +140 °F (+60 °C).
x To help prevent damage to the paint, do not wash the vehicle in direct sunlight.
x Do not use insect sponges, abrasive kitchen sponges or similar things to clean the vehicle. These can damage the paint finish.
x Never clean headlights with a dry cloth or sponge. Always use a wet cloth or sponge. For best results use soapy water.
x When washing or rinsing the vehicle in cold weather, do not let water get into the lock cylinders or point the hose at gaps around the doors, hood, or rear hatch. The water could freeze on the locks and seals and make it difficult to open the vehicle!
x When outside temperatures are low, wipe the rubber seals and their contact surfaces dry to help prevent freezing.
NOTICE
To help prevent vehicle damage in a car wash:
x Compare the vehicle track width with the dimensions of the guide rails in the car wash to help prevent damage to wheel rims and tires!
x Switch off the rain sensor before driving the vehicle through a car wash ⇒ page 127, Rain sensor.
x Make sure there is enough clearance for the height and width of the vehicle.
x To help prevent paint damage to the electric motor hood, place wiper blades against the windshield after they have dried. Do not let them snap back into place.
x Fold the outside mirrors toward the vehicle body.
x Lock the rear hatch to help prevent unintentional opening in the car wash.
Washing with a power washer

x When being towed.
Always obey traffic laws that govern the use of emergency flashers where you are driving.
If the emergency flashers are not working, a different method – as permitted by law – must be used to alert other motorists and cyclists to the breakdown.
WARNING
Disregarding the safety-related checklist may lead to accidents and serious personal injuries.
x Always review and follow the checklist. Follow accepted safety practices and use common sense.
WARNING
The vehicle exhaust system and the catalytic converter or diesel particulate filter get very hot. They can cause fires and serious personal injury.
x Never park where parts of the hot exhaust system or catalytic converter could ignite flammable materials, such as dry grass, brush, leaves, spilled fuel, etc.
NOTICE
To help prevent damage to the vehicle if you should have to push it a short distance by hand, never push against spoilers, lights, body panels, windows, or similar parts. Concentrating force on these parts of the vehicle can cause expensive damage that may not always be obvi-ous right away.
The vehicle battery will be drained if the emergency flashers are on for a long time – even if the ignition is switched off.

WARNING
Failure to heed warning lights and instrument cluster text messages can cause the vehicle to break down in traffic and result in a collision and serious personal injury.
x Never ignore warning lights or text WARNINGS.
x Always stop the vehicle as soon as it is safe to do so.
x Whenever stalled or stopped for repair, move the vehicle a safe distance off the road, turn on the emergency flashers, stop the electric motor, and use other warning devices to warn approaching traffic.
NOTICE
Failure to heed warning lights or text WARNINGS can result in vehicle damage.
Tow-starting