towing VOLKSWAGEN GOLF 2008 Owners Manual

Coolant 3.2: 47
Level 3.2:
49
Loss 3.2:49
Coolant leve l
Warning light 3.2: 48
Coolant temperature
Gauge 3.1:9 Safe ty instru ctions 3.2:48
Trail er towing 3.2: 48
Warning light 3.2 : 4 8
C
ras h recorders 3.2: 34
C rui
se control system
Indicator light 3.1:96
without display 3.1: 96
C up ho ld ers 3.
1: 67
in the front center consol e 3 .1: 67
the rear center console 3.1:67
Curbs 3.3:4
Curb weight 3.3 : 6
C
urrent f u el con sumptio n 3.1:21
C
urtain airbags 2.1:
Custome r Center 2.1: 28
D
Danger of fittin g a child seat on the front pas­
senger seat 2.1:
Daytime dri ving lights 3.1:4 3
Daytime Hunning Light s 3.1: 43
D
eactiv ating the switchabl e lockin g
2.1: 67
Depress brake ped al 3.1: 6
Determining correct load l im it 3.2: 71
Diff
erential lock 6
Digit al cl
ock 3.1:8
Dimensio n s 3.3: 4, 7
Disp la y 3.1: 1 3
D is t
ance b etween driver and steerin g
w h
eel 2.1:4
D is ta n
ce travele d 3.1: 21
Door re lease h andle 3.1: 3
Doors 3.1:33
close 3.1: 33 closing 3.1: Warning li gh t 3.1: 33
Drive economically 3.2: 19
6 Key words
Drive economic all y and he lp protect the
environment 3.2: 19
Driv er See Seating position
Drivin g outside of the
Driving safety 2.1: 3
Driving lime 3
.1:
E
EDL 3.2:6
See also Electronic Differ ential Lock
Warning light 3.2:5
Electrical socket 3.1: 68
E
lectronic diff ere nti al lock 3.2: 6
Electroni c Differential Lock
Warning light 3.2: 5
Ele c
tronic immobilizer 3.1:85
E l
ectronic Co ntrol 3.2: 9
E l
ectronic Stabilization
How it works 3.2: 6
Eme rge ncy
L
ockin g driver's door 3.2: 88
Opening l eve r for the rear lid 3.2: 89
Unl ocki ng
driver's door 3.2: 88
Em ergency closing 3.2: 88
E m er
gency nasher 3.1: 45
E m
ergency locki ng all doors 3.2: 88
Emergency ope nin g 3.2: 88 Doors 3.1: 34
Emer gency
unlocking of rear lid 3.2: 89
E ng
ine Break-in 3.2: 12
Eng in e compartment
Cleaning 3.2 :27 you should take when work­
i
ng in sid e the e ngin e
compartment 3.2:39 Work ing in the engine
compartment 3.2: 39
E n g in e
compartment la yout 3.3 : 5
E n
gine compartment overview 3.3: 5

Tank
the tank 3.2: 35
Fuel gauge 3.1:
fuel filler flap 3.2: 35
Technic al modifications 3.2:
32
Tether anchors 2.1:68
Tether strap 2.1:
69
Threaded rim ring 3.2: 57
down hooks 3.1:
Tie-dow ns 2.1: 12
Tire pressure 3.2: 68
Tir e pressure monitorin g disp lay
mode ls) 3.2: 65
Warn ing 3.2: 65
T i
re pres sure monitoring sys tem
3.2: 75
Tires and wheels 3.2: 75
Valves 3.2: 75
Tire pressure monitoring system
models) 3.2 : 62
Tires
Repla cing 3.2:
75
life 3.2:72
rating le tter code 3.2: 74 Tire Identification Number 3.2: 74
Tire manufacturing date 3.2: 74
Tire specifications 3.2: 74
Tread
depth 3.2:72
tire pressure 3.2: 68 tire inflation pressure 3.2: 61 Dimensions 3.2: 73
General notes 3.2: 57
Glossary of tire and loading terminology 3.2: 58
New tires
and wheels 3.2: 73 Replaci ng 3.2: 73
ch ai.ns 3.2: 78
Tir e pressure monitoring system 3.2: 75
Tires and vehic le load lim its 3.2: Whee l bolts 3.2: 79
Winter tires 3.2:77
Tir e serv i
ce life 3.2:72
Tool s 3.2:
Torn or fra yed safe ty belts 2.1: 17
Towing 3.2:
General notes 3.2: 103
When can your vehicle not be
t owed? 3.2:
Towing eye 3.2:
See Tire pre ss ure monitoring system
model s)
Warning
light 3.2: 62
Trail er towing 3.2: 15
Anti-theft alarm system 3.2: 18
Brake s 3.2: 15
instructions 3.2 : 16
3.2:
Transporting long items 3.1: 63
Tread Wear Indi cato r
Trunk lid 3.1: 35
See also Rear lid
Turn signa l and high beam lever 3.1:46
Turn signal s 3.1: 46
Warning light 3
.1: 46
u
Underbody sealant 3.2: 27
Unfast ening belts 2.1: 25
Unidirectional tires 3.2:57, 86
tir e qual ity grading 3.2: 76
Unpleasant odor 3.1: 83
Uphol stery
Key word s 13

program is your assurance that help will be there should yo ur Volk swagen have a mechanical breakdown under norma J3l driving conditions. Whether this happen s th ousands of miles from home (a nywhere in th e U .S . or or in
your own dri vew ay, you only have to call one
toll -free number and h elp
To
tancc is ava ilab le to you for th e firs t fou r years of
your new vehicl e ownersh ip.
T he Volkswagen 24
Hour Roadside Assistance includes th e following em ergency roadside services : emergency towing, battery jump sta rt , flat tire change. em ergen cy fuel
Please refe r to your 24 lo u r ta nce Guide for specific detail s on the services provided.
for the Serv ice

driving ........................ .
occupant seating positions ...... .
a reo ..............................
Stowing ....................... .
Reporting safety defects
............... . .
......................... .
notes ....................... ... .
Why safety ...................... .
Saf ety .................
Safety pretensioners ................ .
Airbag system
28
Front airbog system the basics ..... 32
Boo klet 2.1 first
Monitoring the Advanced Airbog System
46 Side
safety 53
Seats ...... ........... .. 53 restraint with o safety . 63
Inform ation 0................. 68
Lower anchorages .......... .... 7 1 system 72
Where con get additional inform ation
a bout
res traints and their use? . . . . . . 73
Alphabetical index ....

Always make sure that floor mats are erly secured.
Never place or install floor mats or other floor coverings in the vehicle that cannot be properly secured in place to prevent them
from slipping and interfering the pedals or the abiliry to control the vehicle.
Never place or install floor mats or other floor cover ings on top of already installed floor mats. Additional floor mats and other
Stowing
Loading the
(cont inued)
cove rings re d uce the s ize of the pedal area and interfe re with pedal s.
Always properly reinstall and secure floor mats that have been removed for cleaning.
Alway s m ake sure tl1at objects cannot fall
into
All luggage and other objects must be properly stowed and secured in the luggage
compartment.
Loose items in the luggage compartmen t
can shift suddenl y changing ve hicl e
in a sudden ve hicle maneuver o r in a
sion.
- Distribute th e lo ad eve nly in the
gage compartment.
- Always pla
ce and properly secure heavy
it
ems as far forward as possibl e in the
gage compartment.
-heavy luggage as low as possib le
in the lu ggage
compartment.
-
lu ggage using the tie-do wns
provided page 12 .
- Make sure
that th e rear seat b ack is
cure ly latched in plac e.
WARNING
Improperly stored lugg age or other item s can fly through the vehicle causing serious
(continued)
Always put objec ts, for example, luggag e or othe r heavy items in the lu ggage compart­ment.
Alwa ys secure objects in t11e lu ggage
able straps.
WARNING
Heavy loads influence the way your hicle handles . To help reduce the risk of a los s of control leading to serious personal injury:
Always keep in mind whe n transporting h eavy objects, that a c han ge in center of graviry can also cause changes in vehicle
heavy objects as far forward in the luggage compartment as poss ible.
Never excee d the Gross Axle Weig ht Rati ng
o r the Gross Vehicle Weig ht Rating specified on the safe ty compli ance stick er on the left door jamb. Exceeding pe rmissibl e w eig ht
sta ndards can cause the vehicle to slide and handle diff ere n tly.

3.1
Emergency switch
Use the eme1gency flasher del ete space to attention
your icle in cas e of an emerge ncy.
Fig. 37 Section o f ins trume nt panel: swi tch for the
e mergency flas he r
In an em ergen cy situation:
I. Park your vehicl e
fig. 37 switch on
the emergency
3. Switch the engine off.
4. Set the parkin g brake.
5. Move the gea rshift lever into neutral
(Manual tra nsmiss ion ) or the selector
l e ve r to the
position (A uto m ati c tran s­
mi ssio n
).
6. Use warning tria ng le or other warning
equipme nt to draw the a uention of other
motorists to your vehicl e.
7. Always ta ke the key w .
l
eave the ve hicl e.
ou must
You should use th e e mergency
wh en you approach
if your vehicle has a break down
if your vehicle is bein g towed or if yo u are towing vehicl e
if yo u find yourself in dange ro us s ituation
All turn sig nal s simultaneously. Th e tw o
turn sig nal Indi cator a nd the light in
the t im e. Th e emergency also wo rk s w he n th e ig n ition is switch ed off.
WARNING
A vehicle staUed or stopp ed on or bes ide a
hi ghway can b e struck by o ther ve hicle s and increase the risk of se rious pe rso nal injury.
When eve r stalled or stopped for re pair,
mov e th e vehicle a safe dis ta n ce off the road, turn o f th e emerg ency flas her, s top the e n gin e
a nd usc a warning triangl e or similar device to wa rn ap proac hing traffic .
Never park the ve hicle in areas where the
hot cat a ly tic converter and exhaust syste m
can co me in contact dry grass , brush , f uel or othe r mate rial that can cause fire.
a lo ng
lights and a

. . .. . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . 2
Brak es . .. . . .. .. .. . .. .. .. . .. .. .. . .. .. ... . 2 steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Eng ine
management and exhaust sys tem . 9
Driving and protecting the
environment .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . . .. .. . 12
Break-in Period .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 12
towing .. .. . .. .. .. .. . .. . . .. . . .. .. . 15
Driv e economically and
core and
exterio r . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 22
Core of the in terior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Acce ssories, new parts, repairs
and modifications .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 31
Accessories and ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Repair s ond technical modifications . . . . . . 32
phones and
modules . . . . .. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 34
Checkin g and .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 35
supply .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. 37 Working in the engine comportment . . . . . 39
Engine .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. . .. .. .. . 42
................................. 47
Washer and windsh ield wiper blades
Broke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
and spore . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .. . . .. .. .. .. . .. . .. .. 82
Emergency or opening . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 93
Jump starting .. . .. .. . .. .. . .. . .. .. .. . .. .. . 99 Towing .................................. ........................
index .................

For dri ving safely. always follow the specified
maintenance int erva ls in your mainte na nce booklet 1.1 ciall y for changin g the brake fluid. Hard u se, maril y stop and go driv ing, o p eratio n in very dusty area s. trailer towing as well as other tions may make it necessary to short en nance in te rvals-see your a u th orize d swage n dealer.
Your
l ow ing po int s befo re yo u drive off:
lights and turn signal s.
Make sur e that all ligh ts and all windows are
clea n.
Adjust the mirro rs.
Make sure th at the a ir intake slots between the e ngin e hoo d and the w in d shi eld are free of leaves . s n ow and ice.
wa rnin g and indicato r light s whe n
s ta rti ng the e ng in e.
Your personal driving styl e and attitude have a
lot
to do with safety.
Th eref ore, for yo
ur ow n safety:
Wear your safety belts and wear the m
book let 2.1 chapter
Make sure that all passenge rs their safe ty be lls properly. eve n those sitting in the book le t2.1 chapter Passengers not wear ing safety bells
Make sure that chil dren always sit on the rea r seat properly restrain ed by
Neve r transport chil d in a r ear-faci ng c hild or infant seat on the fron t passe nger seat booklet2.1
Adjust you r seat that yo u can easily reach
all control s while yo u are as far away from the airbag as pos sibl e but not close r than
bookle t2.1 and bookle t3. 1
The seatin g position is ve ry important for th e
a ir bag book let2.1 chapter" Air bag
Always adjust the head rest ra int s to the rect heig ht. For maximum pro tection. adjust the
head restrai nt so the upper e d ge is as eve n
w ith the top of your head a s pos sibl e, but no lower than eye level and so that it is as close th e back of your head booklet 2.1
Always make s ure that th e movem ent of the
p ed als is not re stricted in any booklet 3.1 Equipment",
Sto re lu ggage and light it em s properly in the
lu ggage compartment and on th e roof bookle t3. 1 and Luggag e compartment " and book let3.1 and Equipment", chapte r " Roof
If you drink, do not drive!
The use of alco hol. drugs and certai n tions will seriou sly impa ir percepti on , reac tio ns and dri ving ability, substantially in creasin g the risk of an acc ident, cras h and persona l injury.
Do not driv e if you are tired.
Make frequ ent rest sto ps, least afte r every two hours of dri ving.
Always
adapt vehicle speed to traffic, rood and
weather conditions.
R e
member, that especially on sm oot h. slipp ery
roa ds, ve hicl e ha ndl ing and brak ing depend a
g reat deal o n tire adhes ion. wet roads, the
f ront w heels can h ydropla ne, especi ally at
hi ghe r speeds. th is happen s, yo u will then no
lon ger be abl e to steer or brake properly.
Alwa ys observe the p osted speed limits and common sense. good judg m ent can mean the diff ere nce b e tween arriving safely at your d estination and being seriou sly injured in a cras h or othe r kind of accident.
14 Driving and protecting the environment

An improperly installed or incorrec t hitch from the towi ng vehicle leading to serious personal in­juries.
Neve r in stall a on your vehicle . The vehicl e was not designed for these kin ds
o f trailer hitches. The hitch attachment to tear loose from the
ve hicl e.
When you n o longer need t o tow trailer, re ­
move the trailer hitc h . Alway s seal all bolt holes to prevent water and deadly exhaust fumes entering the ve hicle.
Operating instructions
Maximum trailer weight
You can only tow typical class I or class 2 trailers
with your vehicle.
T he m ax
imum gross trailer we ight and the tongue load must n ever exceed the specifica­
tion s listed bookle t3 .3 "Tec hnical
Neve r exceed the gross ve hicl e we ight, w hi ch i s the we ight o f th e vehicle, includin g driver, pas­senge rs, luggage, trailer hit ch and tongu e we ight of the loaded trailer.
At alt itudes above ft. m), redu ction of of combined towin g weight (ve hicl e plu s trailer) for the beginning of every m ) should be observed.
Trailer l
oad distribution
Be sure the load in the traile r is held securel y in place to guard agains t be it forw ard.
b ackwar d or sideways. A load that shift s can make it hard or even impossibl e to control your vehicl e, parti cularly in an e m erge ncy situ ation.
W ith the tow vehicle empty and the trailer
l oade d , we ight distribution is es pecially bad. If
yo u absolut ely mus t driv e w ith this combina­
tion, d rive with extra
Do not use a trailer whic h has LED (light emitting diodes) taillig ht s. This type of t a illi ght can damage the electrical co ntrol unit of your veh icle.
If the traile r socke t is in co rrectly connected .
damage co uld result to the ve hicles electrical
system.
I f th e maximum power consumption for the
trail er is pag e 15, damage could re­sult to the e lectrica l sys te m of th e ve hicle.
Never connect the e lectr ical sys te m for th e
t raile r directly to the electrica l c o nne ctions for the rear lights or to other unsu itable power sources. Use onl y a su itab le trailer soc ket to pro ­
vide power to the trailer .
Tongue load
For bes t ve hicle ha ndli ng when towing a trail er, adjus t the trailer load so tha t th e tongue load is at the maximum allowable or slightly lower. You can ge t an approx imation of the to ngu e load
with a ba throom scal e or yo u can measure the load at a tru cking company or we ighing station.
The tongu e load incre ases the weigh t of the rear axle and correspondingly reduces the other load that your ve hicle ca n
The max im um tong ue load on ly a ppl ies if both of the ho les o n the o uter upright wall of th e rear side rail are used to secure the trailer hitch.
Tire pressu re
tow ing a trailer, inflate t h e tires of your ve ­
hicle to the col d tire press ure lis ted under on the sticker o n the open ed ge of the
dri ver's door. Inflate trailer tires to trai ler and tire manufactur ers' specificat ions.
lights
A lw ays check
the headlight settin gs wit h the tr ai le r hooked up before driving off. Adju st as n ecess ary so th a t yo u can see th e road ahead but not blind on coming
C he ck and make sur e th a t all veh icle and trailer lights are workin g properly -especially the brake light s.
16 Driving and protecting the environment

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