warning VOLKSWAGEN GOLF 2004 Owners Manual

3.2 Tips and Advice
Smart technology
Brakes
Brake booster
The brake booster increases th e brake pre ssure
yo u pu t on th e brak e pedal. works only whe n the engi ne is running.
t h e brake booster is not working or if the hi cle to be tow ed. you will have to push the
b rake pedal harder to mak e up fo r the lack of boos ter assistance.
Braking with out the brake booste r needs much lon ger braki ng distanc e and requires
Warning
the brake pad wear indicator only tors th e front brake pads, the rear brak e pads in spected the sam e time.
There may be m essage in the in strument clu ste r inform ing yo u or advis ing yo u of the essary action to
(co ntinue d)
you to push the brake ped al harder tha n normal.
Never le t the ve hicle coast w ith the engine sw itch ed off.
ample if the vehicle is being towed, you will
have t o pus h the brake pedal much harder than
Driv in g with bad can cause collis ion a nd seriou s persona l injury.
the brake pads in specte d ate ly by an au thorize d Volk swagen d ealer or qualified works ho p if the brake pads worn symbo l l ights
Warning Brake system BRAKE or ((D)
The if parking brake is applied, if th e
the brake system .
This warning light BRAKE or up if:
The park ing brake is booklet and c h a pter "Parkin g th e ve hicle is dri ven faste r than about 4 m ph (6 km/h) with th e parkin g brake a warning sound. There may be message in the ins tru ment clus te r info rmin g yo u or vis ing yo u of the necessa ry action t o
If the brak e flui d leve l is too page 53.
2 Smart
If there is a m alfunction in the brake system , the warni ng in the instrument cluste r will comes on. You also
th e ve hicle and do not continu e to dri ve. Contact yo ur authorized swage n dealer or a qualified work shop. th ere is failur e, the indicator ligh t comes

on. the bra ke sys tem warning symbol or
If a malfunction occurs in the ABS. the warning light light up togethe r the brake o r
39. T he e ngin e com partment of any motor ve hicle is po te ntiall y dangerou s area and can cause serious personal injury.
Dri vin g w ith ba d brakes can cause a c olli sion and serio us person al injury.
does n ot go out, or if it lights up w hen driving the brake fluid level in the reservoir is too lo w or there is a f ault in the brake syste m .lmmedi-
Brake Assist System (BAS)
In an emergency, most drive rs brake in time, but not p in g dista nces that are longer than they have to be!
T he
brake assis t sys te m helps: if yo u p ress the b rake pedal very quick ly , th e brake assist sys te m
regi sters an emergency situation.
can be activated more quickly and ciently, reducing th e brakin g distance while ting you steer at the sam e tim e.
Do no t reduce th e pressure on the brake pedal.
T he bra ke switches off cally as soon as you re lease th e bra ke. The brake assist system work s onl y w hen the engi ne is
nin g.
A lways adjust yo ur speed and driving sty le to road , weather condit io ns.
{continued)
a te ly s to p dri ving a nd ta nce=> page 53.
symbol BRA KE or lights up a t the same ti m e as th eABS warning light the may not be working pro perl y and th e rear w heels could lock up first under
hard braki ng. Rear wheel brake lock-up can cause loss o f vehicl e control. If yo u believe tha t it is safe to do so, go imm ediately a t low speed to the nearest autho rized V olkswagen
dealer o r
w arning light does no t go o ut, or if it comes on w hil e driving, the
your autho rized
V o lkswagen deale r o r qualifi ed wo rkshop as soon as possible.
(continuod)
Neve r let the ex tra safety offered b y the
B rake Ass is t
The Brake Assis t Syst em canno t reduce the
risk o f a n acci dent, fo r example i f yo u drive too fast fo r conditions or if yo u d o not keep your distance from the vehicl e in front of yo u.
S li ppery and we t roads a re dangerous even with the Brake Ass ist Sys te m!
Always re m ember tha t vehi cle alterations
o r m odificati ons can affect the functio n oft h e syste m s. Exa mples of
these alteration s or modifica tions include a different w heel/tire com bination and brake or chassis m odificati on s=> page 32, "Repairs a nd
t echnical m odifica tion s".
the vehicle su sp en sion or u sing unapproved tire I rim combinati on can ch an ge the way the
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The Anti-Lock Brake System prevents the wheels from locking up when the brakes
are applied.
The is an
works only when the engin e is running.
How the ABS works
I f
one w hee l beg ins to turn too slow ly in relat ion to vehicle spee d and tends to lock up, the automati cally redu ces brak e pressure to pre vent
that w heel from lock ing up. When is doing its job you will notic e a slight vib ration through the brake ped a l a nd hear a noise to le t you know
that your speed must be adjusted to road, traffic and weather co ndition s. Thi s is a warni ng that one or more of th e whee ls is about to lock up and
that th e control function has intervened. In
thi s situati on it is important to keep th e br ake
peda l full y depressed so th e the
b rake ped al-cannot do its job if yo u do .
helps you to keep the vehicle under control
because it pr eve nts th e w hee ls from locking up w hen the brake s are a ppli ed. Thi s m ea ns th e hicle can still be s teered and is less likely to skid.
Th e
cannot necessarily shorte r
braking dis tances in con dition s. The brakin g
di stance ca n eve n be longer if you brake on gravel or on fres h snow c overing a slippery face.
If
i s not fun ctioning properly, a warning
light will co me pag e 5.
4 Smart technol .ogy
Always adjust your speed and driving style to
road, tra ffic and weather co nditions. Never let the ex tr a sa fety that
Alwa ys drive safely.
cannot change the laws of physics.
S lipp ery and wet roads are dangerous even
withABS!
cannot reduc e the risk of accidents,
for example if you drive too fast for the tions or if you do not keep your distance from the veh icle in front of you.
Always remember that vehicle alteration s or modifications can affect the function oft he
page 32, and te chnical modifications".
Changing the vehicle suspension or using unapproved tire
systems work and reduce their effectiveness.
The effec tive ness of is also determined
b y the tir es on your pag e 57 ,

The wa rnin g light ABS does not light up w hen th e ignit io n is switched on .
T he wa rnin g lig ht does not turn off again afte r a few seco nds.
The wa rnin g light light s up whe n the vehicle
i s m ov ing.
Th e ve hicle can still be braked in the normal (except th at the is not active). dealer or a qualifie d works hop as soon as po ssible.
If a fault occurs in theABS. th e
sys te m warning lights BHAKE and/or , th e fective , but there is also possible malfun ction in th e brak e sys te m
Th ere may be a messag e in the in strumem cluster informing yo u or advis ing you of the
Before working in th e e ngin e ment, always read and h ee d all
Driv ing wi th bad brakes can cause a collisio n and seriou s perso nal injury .
If the does not go out, o r i f it up when dri vin g
th e brake fluid leve l in the reservoir is too low or there is a fault in the brake system. ately stop driving and
I f the brak e light s up at the same time warning light ABS or , th e may not be wo rkin g properly and the rear wheels could lo ck up first under hard braking. Hea r wheel brake lo ck-up ca n cause loss of ve hicl e control. If you b elieve that it is to do so, go ately at low sp ee d to the nearest authorized Volkswagen dealer or qualified workshop and have the brake sys te m inspected. Drive slow ly and avoid sudden, hard brake application .
out, or if it comes on while driv ing, the
w ill not have the protectio n provides. Con tact your rized Volkswagen deal e r o r qualified s hop as soon as possible.
Smart technology 5

(continued)
T he effecti ve ness of is also d etermine d
b y the tires page 57, and
is very effec tive, always m ember that your veh icle's handling bility is limit ed b y tir e traction.
Note
I n
order to en sure th at an d ASR functio ns
correc tly, all four wheels must b e fitted with the same tire s. Any differences in the rolling radiu s of the tire s can cause the system to reduce gin e power-eve n when this is not th e best th in g
to do under t h e circumstances.
veh icles wit h powe r stee ring, th e amoun t of power ass istance is regula ted
chanical us ing an electr ic motor. The ad tages of thi s s teering system include the fact that n o hydra ulic components su ch as hoses . oil ta iners, filt ers or h ydraul ic flu id s are requir ed. Furt he rmo re, this is a conside rable decr ease in
e n ergy required . The elect romechan ical steering
system, in contrast to the hydraulic system (which requires a constant flow of fluid). only
co nsumes en ergy when the ve hicle is ac tually
b e in g s teered.
The f u e l consumption is reduced as a res ult.
If the
electromechanical power steering sys tem fails, the power ass is ted steer ing sys tem will still work. If th e engine is sw itched off, the power steering does not functio n and the steering
wheel is very hard to turn.
Indicator light
or comes on
The indi cator light comes o n for a few seconds when th e ignition is sw itched on.
If the indica tor light ( or does not go out or comes on while you are driving, th ere is a
prob le m in the ele ctro -mechanical steering. steering assis t may be reduced (light J or be lo st completely (li ght
swage n dealer. If th e yellow warning light stays
off after restart in g an d drivin g a short distanc e,
8 Smart
With th e en g in e not running (e.g. when the car is bei ng towed). there is a lso no power assist able.
Turning the s teerin g wheel i s ve ry difficult when th e power steering sys te m i s not wo rkin g and it is harde r t o control the ve hicl e.
Neve r let the vehicle coast w ith the en gi ne swit ch ed off.
If yo u d o no t pay att entio n to the warning lights w hich have com e o n, includin g th e
warnin g messages appearing in the d is play, this could lead t o personal injury or damage to
your vehicle .
Note
Do not keep the steering wheel turned the way to the le ft or righ t for more than 15 seco nd s
when th e e ngine is running. Doing so could damage th e powe r steering system.
If th e

light monitors the
lights up when the ignit ion is sw itched on to
s how that the light is work ing properly. should
go ou t when the engin e ha s s tarted running.
a fault develops in the e ngin e management system while yo u are driving, thi s warning light
will light up. thorized dealer or qualified
the
t a nk completely empty.
- Do no t put in too much engine oil
45,
- Never tow the ve hicl e to sta rt use
jumper cables page
you notice misfiri ng, uneven running or loss of power whe n the vehicle is moving, slo w down
immedi at ely and have the ve hicle inspecte d b y the neares t authorized
chapter"Warning
cape int o the atmosphere.
A catalytic convert er ge ts very h ot and can
cause fir e causin g serious person al injury. Th
ere
may be a message in the in strument cluster inform ing you or advising you of th e essary ac tion to take.
yo u do not pay attention to the warning
li ghts which have come on, including th e warning messages appearing in th e d isplay, this could lead t o personal injury or damage to your vehic le.
(cont inued)
Never park whe re
Neve r apply additional undercoating or rust proofing o n or near the exhaust manifo ld,
ex hau st pipes, catalytic converter or heat s hi elds.
Note
Never drive until the tank is completely
e mpty becau se irregular fu el supply could cause the engine t o misfire. This allow s raw, unburned fu el to get into the ex haust sys tem and damage the catalytic conve rter.
the oil leve l is above page 44, fig. 6 not start the engine- t his could damage the catalytic co nverte r and the engine!
To avoid damage to the catalytic converter
37,

3.2 Tips and Advice
This warning light is part of the On-Board-Diagno stic System
The MIL is a required indicator
assure you that th e MIL is workin g properly.
If the Malfun ctio n (MIL )
does n o t go out after th e eng in e is s tarted, or if it comes on w hil e yo u are driv ing, th ere is a mal­
function in the engine sys te m.
If
the lamp starts blinkin g. th e catal ytic con­verter could be damaged . T he re m ay be sag e in the in strument clu ste r informing yo u or
advis in g you of the necessa ry action to take.
(DLC) for On-Board-Diag­
nostic
The O n-Board-Diagnost ics in mon­
itor s the vario us components of your e mission
control system. Each controlled component in y
our ve
hicl e has been coded. In case of functio n the respective component in questio n
will be identi fied and the fault stored in the form of a code in the control module's memory.
The stored data can only be d isplaye d wit h spe­
cial testing equipment (generic scan tool for di agnosis.
To c
onnect the speci al tes ting equipmen t, push the p lug into th e Da ta Link lo­cate d to the rig ht of the release for engine
h oo d.
Your
authorize d Volkswagen dealer or quali fied
wo rkshop can interpret the code and m ake the ne cessar y correction.
you do not pay attention to the warning
lights whi c h have come on, including th e warning messages appearing in the display , this could lead to pers o n al injury or damage to your ve hicl e.
Smart

miles
can b e gradually in creased to
th e maximum vehicl e s
peed or maximum
permissibl e engin e speed (rpm ).
Breaking in tires and brake pads
Durin g the fir st few h o u rs of dri ving, the g ine 's inte rnal fric tion is hi gher than it will be
l a te r w he n a ll th e m ovin g part s have been bro ke n in.
For the sake of environment
th e eng in e is bro ke n in gentl y, the lif e of the engine will be in creased and it s oil co nsumption
New tires should be broken in carefull y for the fir st miles (560 km). New brake
pads b e broken in carefu lly for the first miles (240 km).
Durin g th e fir st miles km l. you can
c ompe nsate for the reduced brak ing effect by apply in g m ore press ure th e brake pedal.l fyo u
need to make a n em ergency slOp, the brak ing
di sta nce will b e longe r w ith new brake pads than
wit h brake pads wh ic h have been b roke n in.
WARNING
New tires and brake pads do not provide imum gri p, control o r braking
(cont;n ued)
To reduce the ri sk of losing a
miles
New brake pads do not have th e best pin g power for the fir st km) and must be broken in. can compe nsate for the s lightly reduced braking effect b y applying more pressure on the brake pedal.
N eve r follow other vehicles to clos ely or put yours elf into other situati on s that might require sudden, h a rd braking especially when the brake pads have not been broke n in.
12 Driving and protecting the environment

WARNING (c o ntinu ed )
Alwa ys read and heed all W ARN IN GS an d additional information regarding sa fet y booklet 2 . I
yo u plan to tow a
tr ailer, p lease re m ember th a t yo ur car will be performing a serv ice for which it was not
ra b ility, ha ndl ing, econ o m y and performa nce.
Tra
ile r towin g not o nl y places more stress on the ve hicl e, it als o calls fo r more concentratio n fr o m the driver.
For these re a so ns, always follow th e o pe ra ting
and d rivi ng instructio ns given and use common sense.
Trail er hit ch
trail er hit ch on your ve hicle.
D o not use a bumper hitch.
The hitch must be installed so, it does not
interfe re the impact-absorbin g bumper system. Do not make any ch an ges to th e ve hicl e
ex haust and b rake system s. Fro m time to tim e, check that all hi tch-mounting bo lt s remain curely fas te ned .
When you are no t towin g
Engine cooling system
Tow ing a tra iler makes the engine wo rk ha rder. is important that th e engine cooling system is u p
t o the job. Ma ke s ure that th e coo ling system has enough fluid .
Traile r bra kes
Never connect the tr a iler light syste m direc tly to the light syste m of your ve hicle . Be su re to check wit h your authorized Volkswage n dealer for rec t w iring, switches
you alwa ys have clear v is ion to th e rear.
Maxim um power consumption for the traile r
Do not exceed the ratings given in the c hart
E lectric al load
Max . power
T ailligh ts total watts
T urn sig na ls p
er sid e 54 watts
B rak e lig hts total 84
Backup light total 54 walls
Driving and protecting the environ ment 15

Booklet 3.2 Tips and Advice
ment s o f your New Veh icl e Warra nty in the eve nt
o f co rros io n r ep air s or if re paint in g sh ould be
n ecessary.
TI1e best way to p ro tec t th e veh icle against
T he lo nger thi ngs like insects. bird
d ro ppings. tree sap, roa d di rt, in d ust rial
cluding stro ng su nlight) increas e co rros ive f ec ts.
After roads have been sa lted it is impo rtant to
wash th e unde rbod y of th e veh icle thoroughly.
WARNING
Ve hicl e ca re produc ts ca n be dang erous. pro per use can result in seriou s pe rso na l jury and/or p oisoning .
Alw ays stor e ve hicle care produc ts in a safe
place in ori ginal -containers th at are securely
cl osed.
Always keep ve hicle care products out of th e reach of childr en .
(contin ued }
Alway s read and heed all the in stru ction s
and all
When u sing products which giv e off
harmful fumes, alway s work outdoors or in a
w ell ventilat ed area.
Neve r use fu el, turpentine, e n gin e oil, n ail poli sh re m ove r or other volatile fluids for hicl e care. Th ey are poi sonous and hi ghl y
flammabl e. Th ey could cause fires and
ve hicl e movement can ca use
Always turn off the engin e, apply th e parkin g brak e firmly and remove the key from the ig niti on b efor e w ashing your ve hicl e, o r
p erformin g any mainten ance or re p airs.
hicle su rface is dry.
For the sake of environment
When buying vehi cle care p rod uc ts, try to lec t th ose th a t are no t harmful to the m ent.
Neve r d is pose vehicle care prod ucts with din ary ho useho ld was te. Alway s follow th e u fact urer 's instruc tion s and heed all