tire VOLKSWAGEN GOLF 2008 Owner's Manual

Booklet 3.1 Controls and Equipment
This overview will the controls and displays
quickly.
Release handle
lock ing button ...... .... .
Light switc h ................... .
Air outlet s
Thumb wheel for opening and closin g the a ir vent
Turn signal and high beam leve r
Paddle leve r for shifting (automatic
t ransmiss ion ) .................. .
In strument cluste r:
- Instru
ments ... ...........• ...
- Dis pla y ..
-Warning lights ............... .
Lever for Windshield wiper and washer ........................ .
Air outlet for in d irect ventilatio n or storag e compartment ........... .
Emerge ncy flasher sw itch ....... .
Warning light for front passenge r airbag switc hed booklet 2.1
Fron t passenger airbag bookle t 2.1
G lo ve compartment handle and lock ........................... .
F u e l flap re lease button and chapter the
H ear lid re lease .......... .
® w indow switches for
windows ...................... .
Swit ches for adjus ti n g the outs id e power mirrors ................. .
l) no t for market 32
43
46
9
1
8
4
49
45
35
38
53
Engine hood re lease lever booklet3.2 and c h a pter in the engin e compartment"
Instrument cluster light switch . . . 44
control lever, . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Driver airba g 2.1 chapter
Horn (works o nly when the ig niti on
i s on)
Leve r for adjus table steering column . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Ignit ion lock ...... 00............ 84
Thumb wheel for left seat heating 59
for
-. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
- Climatro nic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
A ddit iona l s torage compartment
-
outle t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
bilization or slip regulatio n booklet3.2 and chapte r
Parki ng brake lever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Button for switc hing tire moni-toring p ressure systemll booklet3.2 chapter
holder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Se lecto r lever fo r automatic trans-missio n or gears h ift lever ( m anual
transmissi o n) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Thumb w heel for right seat
heatin g . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Sound syste m booklet3.4

Booklet 3.1 and Equipment
Co mfo rt indi c.
Factory settin g
Bac k
Display off
WARNING
Driver distraction can cause accidents and rious personal injury.
Neve r select menus w hen the ve hicl e is mov ing.
Tip s
The menus sh own in the display depends on the ve hicl e electron ics and the options i nstalle d on your ve hicle. you are not sure, ask you r thorized Volkswagen d ealer or qualified
authorized Volk swagen dealer or
T he menu can only be ope ned w hen th e ve hicl e is at a stan dstill.
Appl ies to with display area in the instrumen t and the
All m enus in the instrument cluste r can also be used following the step s describ ed
here.
F ig. Multifunction steering wheel: right side
Th e
minder if yo u are, for example, u sin g
w int
er tir es which are not suit ed for th e top
speed of the ve hicle.
1. Opening the
the ign itio n on. A ve hicle
fig . on the
multi-funct ion steerin g w heel until the
Opening the Winter tires menu
-or to
highlight
the m enu item Winter tires . The
highl ighted menu item is between th e two
horizo ntal lines. Th ere is a lso a triang le on
the
-bu tto n T he Winter tires
m enu opens.
3. Setting the speed warning
- Highligh t the menu ite m + 5 mph
( (+
km/h)) 5 km/ h)l u sin g
th e
arrow keys and press
and p ress button to
switc h th e
speed warnin g on or off . When
th e s pee d wa rnin g is
swit ch ed off, three
appear at th e top of the displa y.
th e m enu item Back.

3.1 and Equipment
T he function will generate ibl e has
r e a ched th e set speed.
The examp le menu Winter tires
+ 5 mph
Tips
Function
The name of the dis pl ayed menu
Displays the speed currently set or dashes if the fun ction is switched off .
Switches the fun ction on or off.
the set value by 5 mph km/h ).
Decre a ses the set value by 5 mph km/h).
The Winte r tires menu and th e last d isplaye d menu opens again.
The m enus s hown in the disp lay depends on the on
your are not sure. ask your rized Volkswage n dealer or qualified workshop for assis tance.
convenien ce menu is use d to make the
ve hicle.
Fig. 11 Multifunction steering wheel: right side
16
fig.ll button on the
multi-function steering w heel until the
the arro w to
highli ght the menu item Conveni ence. The
hi ghl ig
hted menu it e m is between th e
horizonta l lines. T here is a lso a triangle on
the
-the The
Conven i
ence menu opens.

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
Smart

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 ,

does th is by braking the whee l that h as lo st trac tion an d dis tributing more
driv ing force to the other driven wheel via the differen tial.
EDL i s active at speed s up to about mph
not that the EDL has been shut off.
EDL wi
ll automatically switch on again when the brake
Always adjust your speed and driving style to
road,
When accelerating on a slippery surface,
for example on ice and snow, press the accel­erator carefully_ Despit e EDL, the wheels m ay
start t o spin leading to a loss of vehicle control.
Always remember that vehicle alterations or modifications can affect the function ofthe EDL and
page 32, and te chnical m odifications".
Changing the vehicl e s uspension or using unapproved tire rim combination can
change the way the EDL and systems work and reduce their e ff ectiveness_
6 Smart
The E lectronic Stabilization con­
tai ns the E lectronic Differential Lock (EDL) and the Anti- S lip Regulation (ASR). The
or sy s te m s malfunction.
The is sta rted automatically when the en­gine is started.
The should generall y be left switched on at
all times. In specific circumstances where yo u
requ ire less by l.
For exampl e:
whe n driv ing w ith snow chains,

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

(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

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

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