Bec VOLKSWAGEN GOLF 2006 Owner's Guide

3.1
WARNING (continued)
T he air bags and safe ty be lt pre te n sio ners
will not work w he n the ign ition is switch ed off.
Th e brake booster does not work when the e ngine is turned off. A lot more brak e pedal pressu re w ill be necessary to stop the vehicle.
The power steering syste m does not work
w hen the e ngine is turned off and you will need more force to steer the ve hicl e.
When the key is removed, the s teering wheel column will lock up a n d yo u will not be able to steer the veh icle.
Neve r coast down a s lope with the tran s­mission in Neutral.
Note
If you stop th e ve hicle on a grade , d o not at­tempt to stop rolling by depres sin g th e acce le r­ator w hen a gea r has been se le ct ed. The auto­matic tra nsmi ssion could overhea t and be dam­
a ge d. Pull the parkin g brake on full y or depress t
h e
brake ped al to prevent th e ve hicle from
ro llin g away.
Neve r le t the ve hicl e roll down a hill with the se lector le ver inN and the engine swit ched off .
Thi s will damage the automatic tran smission.
Tip s
lfthe sele cto r le ver is un int en tio nally m oved
int o N while driving , take your foot off the accel­
era to r pedal and wa it until the engin e speed has dropped to idle sp eed b efore selec tin g a driv ing position.
The dual clut ch mechanism in the vehicl es
e quipped with au tomatic tra nsmis s io n is
equip ped with an overload pro tector. For ex­
ample, if yo u are stopped on a n inclin e and the
clutch mechanis m sta rts to slip, th e transmi s­
s ion fluid will ove rheat. th e clutch is then overload ed, the vehicle will m ake a slight jerk and th e s elector leve r d is play will start to blink.
T he clut ch m echanism will op en auto mati cally
because it i s o verloaded .lf th is happe n s, d epress the foot brake and wait a few se conds before
dri ving off.
Applies lo veh icles: w ith automol ic tr ansmission and
Shifting with
The system lets th e driver shift manually.
Fig. 85 of
- Move the sele c tor leve r from D (Dr iv e)
F ig . 86 Multi-function steering wheel: paddles for
to the right into the po sition
85 .
Driving 91

3.1 and Equipment
When th e is in th e dri ve are mechanically.
w hen the is at a stopped
W hen and yo u must
p ress the buH on in the depress the brak e th e same
time.
the battery is dead. the canno t
b e m ove d out of
R Reverse
into reve rse w hen the is a t
To move the to R, press the button depressi ng the brake
is a n d the tion is on the b ack up come o n.
N-
the and the en gin e has no a braki ng tion.
T o
move the out ofN. yo u press the brak e th an
3 mph (5
becau se the not o n th e fo ot brake .
if
yo u drive down the
yo u the standa rd pro gram you be in the economy mod e and w ill red uce consumption. T he transmission upshift s
and down shift s at lower s peed s. d rivi ng in D. the e ngine does no t brak e the ve hicle. Th e shows whi ch gear has been in addition to pos ition D 67.
position N as been
hicle is or mov in g at than 3 mph {5
standard driving position (sport program)
yo u b e
dri vin g in a sporty m ode. shift and downshift automatically at higher gi ne s peeds dep e nding on engin e and the speed . dri ving th e e ng in e does no t
b rake t h e ve hicle. The shows whi ch gears has been in addit io n to positionS.
Never switch off the engine before the vehicl e has co me to a s top. can of the ve hicl e, crash and be jured.
The ai rbags and safet y pretensio n crs wiU not wo rk when the ignition is switch ed off.
The brake booster docs not work w he n the engine is turned off. more brake pres sure
The power steering sys te m does n ot wo rk when the en gi ne is turne d off and you need more force to steer the vehicle.
W he n the key is re m oved, the steerin g up and you no t b e to steer the
N ev er coast d ow n a miss ion in
Note
Neve r the a with in Nand th e en gin e s witc hed off .
Thi s damage the automatic tran smi ssion.
th e is unintentionally m oved
into N driving. your foot off the erato r and wait the en gine speed has
d roppe d to idle speed positio n.
there is a mati c transmissio n i s running in an em erge ncy
p rogram if th e displays oft h e select or posit ions t h e auto m atic transmis sion have a
light backgrou nd. The auto m atic tran smissio n be chec ked
D riv in g 93

Booklet 3.1 Controls and Equipment
WARNING
Improper use of the parking brake can seri­
ousl y injur e yo u and your passenge rs.
Neve r use the parking brake to slo w down
th e ve hicle when it is mov ing. The braking tanc e is much longer because only the rear wheel s are braked. Alwa ys use the foot brake.
Neve r drive with the parking brake plied. This could cause the rear brakes to over­heat and los e their braking efficiency. Always
make sure to check that the parkin g is
fully re le a sed dri vin g.
Always apply the parking brake fully when
parking on a slope and cock the front wheels
Parking
(co ntinue d)
to prevent the vehicle from moving
Always read and h ee d WARNINGS
Whe never you leave th e veh icle, you should engage the parkin g
(aut om ati c tra nsm ission) .
Driving w ith the parking brake engaged will damage the rear
The parking bra ke can be used to prevent th.e vehicle from moving.
Parking
-the vehicle using the brake
-Apply th e parkin g brake full y.
-
into lst gear (m anual transmi s­
sio n)
or move the se lector lever into
When parking on slo pes
Before turn ing off the engine, turn the steering
w hee l so that if th e vehicle starts roll, it will roll into the curb:
if the vehicle is facing turn the
f ront wheels so that they point toward the curb.
if th e veh ic le is facin g
apply the parkin g brake and m ove these­lector leve r into
WARNING
Improper parki ng procedures can cause riou s personal injury for yo u or your passe n­
gers.
Neve r remove the key from steering lock
while the ve hicl e is moving or rolling to a s top . The steering wheel will lock up and yo u will not be abl e to steer or contro l th e vehicle.
Neve r park where the hot exhaust system could ig nit e flammable materi als, such as brush, leaves, dry g ra ss, spill ed fue l e tc.
A lwa ys apply the parking brake when parking your vehi cle.
Neve r leave anyone in your vehi cle to vent the ve hicle from movin g if the parking brake is released or selector lever is moved.
Always take th e key with yo u when you leave the vehicle. The engin e ca n b e started and veh icle syste m s s uch as the powe r dows can be operated leadi ng to serious sonal injury.
Neve r leave childre n, disabl ed person s or anyone w ho cannot h elp th e mselves in the hicle. The doors can be locked using th e re-
m ote control trapping passe ngers in the h icle in an emerge ncy . Depending on the tim e of year, peo ple trapped in th e vehicle can be ex po sed to very high or very low temperatures.
Driving 95

Note
Please exe rcise care whe n yo u your in park ing areas w ith parking barrie rs o r
c u rbs. barri ers an d cu rbs vary in he ig ht
and could damage your bumper and rela ted componen ts as th e front of your moves
over
order to be s ure n o such damage occur. you
Please also exercise except io nal ca re you drive up or down steep ra m ps or drive over
c u rb s o r o th er o bsta cle s, fo r w hi ch th e ve hicle is
n ot d esigned. becau
se compone n ts of th e to the ground s uch a s bumper cove rs,
spoiler s. s u spension and exha ust s ystem
ponents . m ay be damaged.
to
Description of the cruise
co ntrol system 18
the s e lecto r leve r is in either th e Nor R positio n (automati c tran smission).
The ind icator light or in the
comes on when cruise control is switched on. The c ruise comrol s y s tem does not nece ssaril y hav e to b e in control mode.
Using th e cru ise control it is no t p oss ible to drive safe ly a cons tant speed ca n be lead t o acci de nt causi ng serio u s personal inju ry to you and yo ur passengers.
Neve r usc the cruise comrolwhcn d riving
in heavy o r va ry ing traffic, on stee p, w indin g
o r slipp ery roads ( for example snow, icc,
street s covered with sta ndin g wat er or
your speed ahead to take the
To prevent unint ended opera tio n of th e
c ruise contro l, switc h th e sys te m off when it is
n ot b e
ing used.
is dangerou s to usc the resum e feature when th e previously se t speed i s too high fo r the ex is tin g road , traffic or w eather tio ns.
Never use the cruise control w he n driving
off- road.
N ote
Whe n trave ling downhill , the c ruise cont ro l may
not con sta nt speed. T he vehicle will acce lera te beca use of its own we ig ht. Dow nsh ift and/or usc th e foot bra ke to slow the

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 ,

when dri ving in deep snow or on loose faces.
w he n r ocking the ve hicl e out.
Switch
ba ck on w he n yo u no longer need wheel s pin. The
remains switch ed oiT.
Ho w
works
The electroni c stab ilization progra m
helps to reduce the ris k of skiddin g braking th e w heels individually. works o nl y
w he n th e e ngine is ru nning.
The sys te m uses th e steering whee l an gle and road speed to calculate th e changes of tio n desired by the driver, and constantl y pares thi s informat ion with the actual behavior of the vehicl e. accurately ( for example if the hicle is beginni ng to skid ) tomatically by applyin g th e at the priate wheel.
The forces acti ng on the braked wheel help to
b rin g the vehicle back on course. th e ve hicl e is tending away at the rear, the brake
wide r dius in a curve. th e brake is mainly applied to the
in sid e wheel.
How the Anti-slip regulation
reduces engine powe r to he lp preven t the driven wheels of front-wheel d rive vehicles
losing traction during acceleration. The sys te m works in the entire speed ra nge in conjunctio n
with fails , the will a lso be out of action. h elp s the ve hicl e to moving. accele rat e and climb a grad ient in slipp ery d itions wh ere thi s may o therwise be diffi cult or even imposs ibl e.
When do the indicator light and the button come on or flash?
T he indicator light comes on for about
2 seconds as o perati o nal check when the
3.2 Tips and Advice
The indicator ligh t flashes while yo u are driv ing when the is wo rking.
They come on if there is a malfun ction in the
They come on when the
Th ey also come o n in the event of an malfunction because the system works in conjunction with the ABS.
the indicator light comes on immedia tel y
a fter the engine is started , th ere m ay be a
sys tem-controlled deactivation. You can vate the tion off and on agai n. th e in dicator ligh t
goes out , the sys te m is full y ope rational again.
the battery has been disconnected, th e
A lways adjust your speed and driving style to road, traffi c and weather conditions. Never le t the extra safety that can provide tempt you into taking extra risk s.
Alway s drive sa fe ly .
and
cannot reduc e the ris k of cident, for example if you drive too for conditions or if you do not keep your distance from the vehicle in front of yo u.
Although
Always remember that vehicle alterations or modificatio ns can affec t the functio n of the EDL and
different wheel/ tire combination and brake or chassis modifications=> page 32, and technical modifi cations".
Changing
EDL and sys te m s work and reduce their effecti veness.
Smart

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,

Booklet 3 .2 Tips and Advic e
recommend that you have the
thi ckne ss of your brake pads checked by an au­
t horized Vol kswagen dealer mo re fre quent ly
t h an recommende d in the serv ice sched ule.
you drive with wet brakes, for example afte r a
dri ving through water, after heavy rainfall or after washing the ve hicle, braking power be
reduced and s to ppin g distances will be longer
because the brake discs will be we t or in winter mayb e eve n frozen-the brakes must be dried
with several ca re ful brak e applicatio ns.
Brak e fluid absor bs water
and must be changed
every two years. Heavy use of the brakes can cause vapor lock if the brake fluid is too old.
Vapor lock redu ces braking power, increases
stopping distances and ca n even cause total
brake failure.
New tires and new bra ke pads do no t pro­
v id e m aximum gri p, control o r b raking abil ity.
To red uce the risk of l osi ng control, a s io n an d se rio us perso nal injuries, drive with
specia l ca re for the first 350 miles (560 km).
New brake pads do not have th e best sto p­
ping power for the fir st ISO mile s (240 km ) and
m ust be b roken in. can compensate for the slightly reduced braki ng abil ity by dri ving care and applyin g more pressure on th e
brake pedal.
Never follow oth e r veh icles to close ly or
p u t you rse lf in to other s ituations th at might
requ ire su d den , hard bra king especially when the brake pads have not been broken in.
apply brakes for a test.
Always dry brakes and clea n off icc coat­
i ngs an d salt coatings with a few cautious brake applications.
A lways read and heed in in tire s and brake on page 12.
Always avoid overheati ng the brakes!
When driving downhill, t11 e brakes have to
work har d and h eat up quickly.
Before driving down a lo ng, steep hill, al­
ways reduce speed and downshift to a lower
gear. This will let the vehicle usc engine
Always ch ange th e brake fluid at l east
every two years. Hard braki ng wi th o ld flui d may cause a va po r lock . Vapor loc k duces powe r, inc reases stoppin g di s­tan ces and can even cause tota l b rak e failure.
A damaged front spoiler or n ew non stan­dard spoiler can reduce t h e airflow to th e
brakes and cause them to ove rh eat.
Always see an authorized Volkswag en
dealer or qualified workshop
Be sure to re ad and heed all and th e page
Driving and protecting the environm ent 13

Safety chains
Be sure trailer safe ty cha ins are prop erly necte d fro m the trailer to th e hitch on th e hicle. Leave enoug h slack in th e c hain s to turn
corners. When you install safety ch a in s, mak e sure they will not dragon th e road whi le you are
driv ing.
Th e chains shou ld c ross
under th e trai le r to ng ue
to prevent it from dropping to the ground in case of separa tion from the hit ch .
Electronic Stabilization
Always leave th e mak es it easie r to stabilize the
t railer sho uld it start to swerve or sway.
Always adjust your speed and driving style to
road, traffic and weather conditions. Never le t the extra safety that and
A rig is eas ier to o pe rate and trol. Thi s means that th e tow vehicle should be loaded to the exte nt possibl e and permi ssibl e
w hil e keepin g th e t raile r as lig ht as possibl e under the ci rcumstances . Whenever possible, tran sfe r so me cargo to the luggage compartm ent
o f th e tow vehicle whil e observ ing tongue load requireme nts and ve hicl e loading ation s.
The hig her th e spee d, the more diffi cult it comes for the driver to control the rig. Do not drive at the maximum permissible
Always appl y brake s early . W hen dri ving
downhill , down shift into lower gear (selector leve r positi on
The cooli ng effect of th e fa n cannot
b e in cre ase d by dow nshif tin g because fan speed
i s independent of engine speed. Therefore,
Riding in a trailer is dangerous and may be
A person who is not properly restrained in
a moving vehicle risks serious personal injury and even death in a crash.
Never let anyone ride in your vehicle
without being properly restrained .
Never allow a passenger to rid e in a trailer.
Exceed ing the maximum permissible weight ratings and maximum permissibl e trailer
weights can result in accident s leading to rious personal injury.
Never le t the actual Gross Axle W eight Rating at the front and rear axles exceed the
permissible weights. Also never let their bination exceed the Gross Weight
Rating.
Always remember that the vehicle's
w he n dri vin g uphill, you can alwa ys drive in the
hi ghes t possibl e gear wit h low engin e speed. the coo lant tempe rature warni ng light in th e strument clu ster start s flas hin g in red, pull off
th e ro ad, s top and let th e engine idle for ab o ut 2 minutes to preve nt a heat buildup and eng in e
damage.
R educe your speed even more under vorab le load , weather or wind conditions ­
particularly when going downhill.
Be especial ly careful when passing other vehicles. Reduce vehicle speed immediately if the trail er shows the slightest sign of sway ing.
N ev e r try to stop the sway ing by ating.
Always heed speed limits.ln some a reas speed limits for vehicle s towing
Driving and protecting the environment 17

Booklet 3.2 Tip s and Advice
vehicl e handles diff ere ntl y wh en towin g a
tr ai ler because of the additional weigh t and weight distribution. Safe ty, pe rform ance and econo m y will greatl y depend on how carefull y
yo u load your trailer and op erat e your rig.
Before you actually to w your trail er, p ractic e
turning. stopping and b ack ing up in an area away from traffic until learn the feel of your vehicle and trail er unit.
Backing
up i s diffi cult and requi res practi ce.
Stee rin g whil e backing up is gen erall y opposite of that when backin g your vehicl e with out a
trailer.
Keep
more distance between your vehicl e and the one in front of yo u. will need more room to stop.
To compensate for the trail er. you will need a
larger than normal turning radius.
When passing, remember that you cannot erate as fast as you normally would because of the added load. Make sure yo u have enough
room to pass. After passing. allow plenty of room for you r trailer before c hanging lanes again.
Avoid je rk y s tart s, sharp turn s or rapid lan e changes.
Parking
After parking. always block th e wheels of both ve hicl e and trail er. Do not park with a traile r on a slope. If it cannot be a voided, do so only after doing th e follo wing:
Apply fo ot brake .
Have someone place chocks under both hicl e and trail er whee ls .
With the c hock s in place, s lo w ly re lease brak es until wheel blo cks absorb the load.
Turn w heels to curb (ve hicl e facing downhill)
o r to the stre et (when facing uphill).
Appl y parkin g brak e firmly.
automatic transmi ssion in
If you move the selecto r leve r of the automatic tran smission to
position.
Restarting
When restarting after parkin g on a slop e, reverse
the proc edure:
S tart the engine.
S hift transmission into gear.
le a se the parking brake and slowly move away from the wheel block s.
Stop and hav e someone re trie ve the wheel
b lock s.
Note
Neve r to w trailer during the break-in period of your vehicl e.
If yo u tow a trailer , yo ur Volksw age n m ay quire more frequent maimenance due to the
ext ra load.
Always check local reg ulations regardi ng
trailer to w in g.
Applies to vehicles: with anti-theft a larm system and a traile r towing set
Linking your trailer to the vehicle's anti-theft alarm system
The anti-theft alarm syste m will be triggere d as soon as the ele ctrical connec tion
between the trailer
and
or qualified
wo rkshop, if you want to inte grat e your trai le r to th e ve hicle's anti-theft a larm
Connecting your trailer to the anti-theft alarm syste m
If yo u ve hicle was built to include both the th eft al arm system and a trailer towin g th en t he trail er towing package (if available) is
in tegrated into the anti-theft alarm sys te m . Thi s
18 Driving and protecting the environment