ESP VOLKSWAGEN GOLF 2008 Owners Manual

Your
a goo d idea to alway s keep it handy in your vehicle. This
Owner 's Literatur e contains important informa­
t ion and all sorts of useful tip s abo ut your Volk­
swage n. Be sur e to care full y rea d all bookle ts so
t hat yo u beco me familiar with your Volkswage n
a s soon as poss ible .
Ma ke s
ure that you always keep th e complete Owner's Literature in the ve hicle . T hi s is espe­
cially important w hen you lend or sell the ve­
hicle . you cannot find one of th e booklets lis ted, brin g thi s to the attent io n of your autho­
r ize d Volkswagen dealer.
Quick Reference Guide
You find the Quick Reference Guid e in the
front cover of your Owner's Lite rature binde r.
You will find any Supplements in the Ow ner's Literature immediate ly afte r thi s booklet .
Ia cli ente le m Bayly W es t
A jax , Ontario 7G7
To obtain a versi on, contact your a u­
thori zed Volkswagen dealer (d e layed introd uc­
tion).
Service : This section contains detailed in for ­
mation about your warr anti es and explain s how you can keep your Volk s wa gen in top drivin g
co ndition by hav ing it serviced regularly.
covers topics like safe ty belt s, pass ive
safety, airb ags, child seats alo ng wit h child safety and head res tra ints .
Functio ns: This section exp lain s all th e con­
trols of your Vol k swage n, ex pla in s how to op­
erate and maint ain your car a nd cove rs th e tech-
nical data of your Volkswagen .

Emission
emission contro l sys tem, using genuine Volkswage n parts, in conformance with th e Fe d eral Clea n Air Act in the States and Canadian Emission Standards, respectively. To help keep our a ir clean, you
can do your part by providing regular tenance for th e emission control system in your vehicle.
2 Maintenance, r
epair or replacement of emission control compon ents may be formed by a ny qualified automotive service and repair establishment or individu al without affecti ng the Emission Control
Sys tem Warranty, provided that su ch pairs are p erformed to manufacture r' s
Why Service?
An untuned en gine wastes fuel.
An emission co ntrol system not properly
A minor adjustment now may p reve nt pair later.
Follow the recommended maintenance schedul e and make in-between ch ecks. This way
you he lp keep your ca r dependable a nd sa fe.
The interval s shown in the table on t h e lowing pages are based on ve hicles operating under normal conditions. I n the case of severe conditions, such as extremely low temperatures,
specifications, and that replacement parts
a re at least equiv alent to genuine s wagen parts in e mission perform ance and durability. Warranty repairs and
d eale r.
3 If ot
her than ge nuin e Volkswage n
parts in emission performance and durability . To be ce rtain th at the emi ssion cont rol sys tem function s as designed, ular mainten a nce is necessary for all ponents of the vehicle which influence haust emiss ions.
excessive
dust etc., it is necessary for certa in
If you have questions about how to mainta in
your vehicle or abou t yo ur Maintenance
dealers are ready to serve you and are committed to quality service
and customer care .
Warranty Voucher 5

Dear
This booklet contains th e warranties appli cable
to your new read these to determine your warranty rig ht s a nd
virtually bumper to bumper cov erage for 4 years or w hic hever occurs first and powertrain coverage fo r 5 years or mi le s, w hichever occ urs fir st. You r is a lso warranted against corrosion period of 12 years irrespective of mileage.
In additio n. your ve hicle is covere d b y emissions
w arr anties mandated by Fed eral a re
or Maine and have purchased Ca lif o rnia you also hav e right s under ti es. consult these warranties w he never a
repair to your emission control system is quired to determine whethe r it is c ove red by
portant to us. A n y questions concerning
Tel.: I 822-8987 I
f y
ou h ave a concern or yo u arc no t satisfie d th e service that you receive fro m your dealer, we su gges t that you disc uss it with t he
Serv ice Manager at your dea le rs h ip . it is not
reso lved through your dealership , you may
of Am erica, .. provides
This service is BBB LINE and is through local of the Better Business Bu reau.lfyo u wish to usc th is serv ice, th e number:
I
Bou le vard Arlingto n,
Notice of Used
T he & Mo tor requires manufacturers to tion to contact ve hicle owne rs if a correctio n of product defect becom es neccssary.lfyou change your ad dress or buy a used com plete one o f th e pos tcards in the midd le of t h is booklet. Y o u n eed not this if you purchased your Volkswagen through rize d Volkswagen dealer.

The Resources Board is pleased explain vehicle. In motor vehicles be designed. stringent warrant the emission control system on your vehicle for the periods of or improper
carburetor or fuel-injection system. the ignition system, catalytic converter. and
semblies.
Where
condition exi ts, you including diagnosis, parts and labor.
Manufacturer's warra nty coverage:
For 3 years or miles, whichever occurs first.
If
your ve hicl e fails an Inspection and nance Test, all necessary repairs and will be made ensure your vehicle passes
\VAHHANTY.
If any emission-related
Thi s is your short-term Emission WARRANTY.
miles, whichever occurs firs !
I
fan emission-related w ith coverage for7 years or miles is defective,
long-tenn Emission WAHRANTY.
For 15 years or miles, whichever occurs first
meet requirements, as identified on Emission
fails an Inspection and Tesl. if any emission-related is
found part will be repaired or replaced by for 15 yea rs or
veh icle chaser or original lessee. This rep resents you r
Emission
Owner's warrant y responsibi li ties:
As veh icle owner, you are responsible for performance in your owner's Maintenance booklet. recommends
swage n cannot deny lack of receipts or for your failu re ensu re

WARNING
Always make sure that you the sugges­tions and heed th e WARN INGS in this Booklet.
Safety equipment
Additional important information that yo u
need to know fo r you r own safety and the safety of your passengers and others is in the Bookl ets of your Literature.
T his
The safety are part of the occupan t rest rain t system and work together to
help reduce the risk
of injury in accident situation s.
Your safe ty and the safety of your pass enge rs
s houldn 't be left t o chance. Adva n ces in te ch­
n ology have mad e variety of feature s available to help red uce the risk of injury in a collisio n.
T he followin g is lis tingofjust a few of th e s afe ty
f e at ures in your Vo lk sw age n:
sophisticate d safe ty belt s for all seating posi­tio n s.
sa fe ty belt force for the front seats
s eati ng po sition s,
safety be lt pre te nsioners for the front seatin g
p ositions and for the outboard rear seating pos i­
t io ns in combin ati o n w it h optional re a r s id e air­
b ags,
sa fety b elt he ight adjustment for the front s eat s,
fr ont airbags sys te m ,
sid e airb ags for the front seats, optiona l for the outboard re a r seats ( fo u r doors ve hicl e)
2 Safe driving
S id e Protection ai rbags,
h ead res tra in ts fo r ea ch seat in g positi on , and
adjustable s teerin g column.
T he se
individua l sa fety features, wo rk t o­geth er as a syste m to help protect yo u and your passeng ers in a wid e range of collis io ns. T hese features can't work as a sys te m if they are notal­
w ays correctJy a dju ste d and correc tl y used!
T
his Bookle t p rov ides important in for matio n
a b out why these features are important, how they w ork to help protect yo u and your passen­gers and the y m ust be adju ste d and used to get the g re atest ben efit an d reduce the lik eli­
h oo d of injury. T he Booklet a ls o conta in s i mpo r­
t a nt WARNINGS th a t yo u a nd you r passenge rs mus t alw ays rea d and hee d in order to he lp r e­
d uce th e risk o f perso nal inju ry.
Safety is
everybody' s responsibility!

driver.
For your safety and the safety of your pas­
sengers, before driving always:
- Make sure
that all lights and signals are
operating corr ect ly.
- Make su re
that the tire pres sure is cor­
r
ect.
- Make sure that all windows are clean
and afford good visibility to the outside .
- Secure all luggage and
other items care ­
page
re­
stra int correctly to protect children
53.
- S it properly in your seat and make sure
that your passengers do the same
4.
- Fasten your safety belt and wear it prop ­
erly. Also instruct your passenge rs to
fasten their safety belts properly
Safe driving is directly related to the condition of the vehicle, the driver as well as
the driver' s ability to concentra te on the road without being distracted.
The driver is responsible for the safety of
the vehi cle and all of its occupants. If your
ability to drive is impa ir ed, safety risks for
everybody in
the vehicle in crease and you
a lso becom e a hazard to everyo ne else
on
the There fo re:
- Never let yourse lf be di stracted by pas­
sengers
or by using the Infotainm ent
syste m or a cellular tel ephone.
- Never drive w
hen your driving ability is
impa ired (by medication s, alco hol,
drugs,
etc.) .
- Observe a
ll traffic laws, rules of th e road
and speed limit s and plain common sense. -
Alway s
adjust you r speed to road, traffic
a
nd weathe r conditions.
- Take frequen t breaks on long trip
s.
Don't drive for more than two hours at a
s tretch.
-
Do n ot drive when you are tir ed, unde r
pressure
or when you are stresse d.
WARNING
Impaired driving safety increases the risk of serious personal injury and death whenever a
vehicle is being used

Incorrectly positioned safety belts can cause severe injuries .
Wearing safe ty belts improperly ca n cause
seriou s inju ry or death. belts can
only work when they are correctly
tioned on the body.
tions reduce the eff ective ness of safety
belt s
and even increase the ris k of
jury and death by moving the safe ty belt to
c riti
cal a reas of th e body. Improper seatin g
position s also increase the risk of serious
inju ry and death when an airbag deploys
and strike s an occupant who is not in the
correct
seating pos ition. A driver is
sponsible for the safety of
pants and especially fo r chi ldren.
for e:
Safety
correct si ttin g posi tion in the vehicle whil e
Improperly worn safety belts increas e th e risk of serious personal injury and death w he neve r
a ve hicl e is being used.
make sure that all vehicle pants are correctly restrained and stay in a correct seating position whenever the ve hicle
i s being used.
page
In a frontal collision, the safety belts for the front and rear outboard seating
ation is high enough . Thi s tighten s th e belt and takes up belt slack. Taking up the slack help s to reduce forward occupant m ove ment during a
collision.
Th e
belt pretensioner can only be act iva ted once.
The belt pre te nsio ner can be activated in a
frontal , side or r ea r-end collision . will no t vate in a rollover in wh ic h the sid e airbag s do not
depl oy.
2l Where applicabl e
26 Safety
can be activa te d unnecess arily in a and will then have to be replac ed .
W he n the safe ty belt pretensioner is
Applicable safety requirements must be se rve d whe n the vehicle or components of the
syste m are scrap ped . A qualified dealers hip is miliar with these re gulation s a nd be pleased to pass on the information to you .
Be sure to observe safe ty, environmenta l and other reg ulat ions if th e ve hicl e or indiv idual
part s oft he system, parti cularl y the safe ty belt or airbag, are to be di sposed. We recommend you

page 53.
Eve n though your vehicl e is equipped wit h an Advanced Airbag System, make certain that all childre n , especially those 12 years and younger, a lways ride in the back seat properly restrained for their
if an infant up to about one year of age restrained in on e of the rearward-fac ing or forward-facing infant re­
straints lis ted in Federal Mo tor Standard 208 with which the Advanced Airbag Sys te m in your was certified has been in­stalled on the front passenger seat. For a listing of the child restraints that were used certify compli ance with the
55.
The PASSENGER
will stay on if the front passenger seat is not occupied,
will stay o n if the tot al weight o n the front passenger seat is that of a typical year-o ld in­fant restrain ed in one of th e rearward-facing or forward-fa cing infant restraints listed in
w ill go off if the front passenger seat is occu­pied by a n adult as re gis te red by the weight­sen sin g page 40,
can stay on if the weight on the seat is more than th e typical! year-o ld infant re-
strained i n one of the child restraints li sted in 208 but less than weigh t of a small
the total weigh t on the front passenger seat is more tha n that of a typica l
208, the front airbag on the passenger side can deploy (the PASSENGER
light does not come on) even if the weight is less than the weight of a small adult. I f the PASSENGER light does not come o n, th e front airbag o n the passenger side has not been turned off by th e e lectronic control unit and can deploy if the control unit senses an impact that meets the conditions stored in its
memory.
For example, the airbag may deploy if:
a small chil d that is heavie r than a typical year-old infant is on the front passenger seat restrained in one of the c hild seats liste d in 20 8 page 55 or
a child who has outgrown child restraints is on the front passenger seat.
If the front passenger airbag is turned off, the PASSENGER and sta ys on.
The front airbag on the passenger sid e w ill de­plo y if the PASSENGER BAG lig ht does not come on and sta y on even if a small or teenager, or passenger who is not sitting up­
right w ith their back against a non-recl in ed bac kre st with th eir feet on the in
front of the seat i s on the
deployment occurs in those crashes that ta ke place at lowe r decelera ti o ns as defined in

Therefore, always wear your safety belts and make sure that everybody in your vehicl e
i s properly re strained.
A person o n the front passenger seat, cially infants and small
Although the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle is designed to turn orr the front passenger airbag if an in fant or a small child in one of the child restraints used to certify the Advanced Airbag System is on the front
tion s is impossible in all conceivabl e situa-
Applies to vehicles: with advanced front airbag system
Advanced front airbag system
Your vehicl e is equipped with a front Advanced
A irbag System in complia nce with States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard as applicable the time your hicle was manufactured.
The front Advanced AirbagSystem supplemems the s afety belt s to provide additional protection
for the driver's and front passenge r' s head s and upper bodi es in frontal crashes. The airbags
straint system in your vehicle. Always remember that the a irba g system can only help to protect if you are sittin g upright, wearin g your safe ty belt and wearing it properly. This is why
yo u and your passengers must always be erly restrained, not just because the law requi res you to be.
The Adva nced Airbag System in yo ur ve hicl e has been to meet the ment s for 3 and 6 yea r-old childr en (as defined
in the s tandard) on the passenger sid e and very
The Advanced AirbagSyste m can deploy in accordance with the
fant restrained in one of the fonvard facing or rearward facing child seats wit h which
plo yment arc met.
Accident statistic s have shown that
For their own safety, all children, especially 12 years and younger, should always ride in the back properly restrained for their age and
small adult s on the driver side. ployment occurs in those crashes th at tak e place
troni c control unit. The low risk deployment teria are intended to help reduce the ris k of jury through interact ion with th e front airbag
t hat can occur in these collisions, for example.
b y
being too close to the steering wheel and
deplo yme nt to occur. the PASSENGER light mus t be orr "Monito ring the Advanced Airbag
year old. restrained in one of the rearward-facing or forward-facing
child restraims (listed in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard with which the Advanced
A irbag System in yo ur veh icle was the PASSENGER BAG light mayor may not come on. Wh en the PASSENGER light is off, the fron t airbag on the passe nge r side may or may not deploy depending o n the nature
Airbog system 33

The front passenger airbag
when th e front passe nger pied,
when th e we ight o n th e front p ass en ger seat as sensed by the Advanced Airbag cates that th e front airbag on th e pa sse nge r side has light comes on and stays on).
To reduce the risk of injury w hen the
a lw ays sit in an upright positi on, must n ot
l
ean agai nst o r place part o f th eir body to o
close t o the area w here the airbags a rc locate d.
Occupa n ts who are unbelte d, out o f tion or too close to the a irbag can be seriously injure d b y an air b ag as it unfo lds g reat force in the b link of a n page
A n i nfant or child in a re arward-faci ng c hild seat install ed on the front passenge r scat w ill
b e seri ously injure d can be ki lled if the
front airbag infl ates even with an A dva nced
Airbag
T he i nfl ating a irba g will hit the c hild sea t or infant carrie r with great fo rce and will
s mash the cl1ild scat
Always ins ta ll rearward -facing child seats
o n th e rear seat.
yo u must in stall a rearward faci ng c hild seat o n the fron t passenger seat because o f ceptio nal ci rcums tances and the stay on, imme di ate ly in stall the reanvard-facing c hild seat in
s h o p .
between yo u and the airbag will
(continued)
fering wit h th e
Neve r h o ld things in your h ands o r o n your la p whe n the ve hicl e is in use.
Neve r transport items on o r in the
co me dangerous projecti les that can cause rious personal injury if the a irbags in flate.
Never place or auach accessori es or other
obj ects (s uch
page
crash, especiall y w hen the airbags infla te .
Neve r recline t he fro nt passenger's scat tra n sp ort objects. o f th e sid e airbag or th e fro nt during braking o r in a sudden m aneu ve r. jects ncar th e airbags can becom e pro jectiles and cause in ju ry , p artic ul arl y w hen the scat is
r eclined.
Always make sure that nothing is on the
fr ont passenger scat that w ill cause th e
weigh t-sensing mat in the seat to sense that the scat is occupied or is occu pied by
A lw ays make su re that n othing is on th e
front p asse nger seat whe n the backrest i s
f olded forward . Eve n
Always make sure tha t the statu s sig naled
b y the light is rect for the way that the fron t passenger scat is bcinguscd.
Airbag system 39