brake fluid VOLKSWAGEN GOLF 2009 Owners Manual

malfunctions or certain functions . Some
warning and indicator ligh ts come on when the ig­
nition is swi tched on and shou ld go out when the
engine is running or when the vehicle is moving. D
epending on the vehicle options, a symbol may
appea r
in the instrum en t cluster in stead of a warn­
ing light.
Additional text messages appear in th e instrumen t
cluster
of appropriately equipped vehicles to give
mo re information or prompt you to take certain ac­tions 18, Instrument cluster.
addition, a chime or other acoustic warning
sounds when certain warning and indicator lights
goon.
Refer to
PARK
Parking brake engaged.
BRAKE Brake fluid level too low, o r brake system malfunction .
Lights up: Engine coolant level too low, too high , or engine coolant
227
E ngine oil pressure too low.
At least one vehicle door is aja r or not closed properly .
192
Li gh ts up or nashes : Steering system malfunction.
Driver and/or passenger safety belts not buckled .
DSG® transmission too hot. 171
Alternator malfunction.
cluster and instrument panel 15

emergency. For example , depending on the time of year, people trapped in the vehicle
ca n be exposed to very high or very low tem­
peratures .
Heat
quickly reach levels that can cause uncon­sciousness and death , particularly to
runn in g and the drive r doo r is op ened , a
chime sounds. T he chim e is also a re minde r to swi tch off the engine and turn off the ignition b efore
leavin g and locki ng th e veh icle from the out side . on page 165.
(auto m atic) , or into Neut ral (manu a l o nly) .
167-
3. Turn the veh icle ke y to posi tion -do no t dep ress the accelerator p ed al. A n au-
do not depr ess the accele ra to r p ed al. t
h oriz ed vehicle key must be insi de t he ve h ic le
i n order to start th e engin e .
4 . Wh en the engi ne s ta rts, release th e v ehic le W
he n the e ng ine starts, release th e sta rte r but-
key . to n .
the engi ne does not start , swi tc h off the igni- tion an d s tart aga in after ab ou t o ne minute .
t io n and sta rt again after about one minut e. Use
the em ergenc y sta rt function if n ecessary 16 7 .
6 .
R elease the pa rking brake when you are ready to s tart dr iving 179 .
Never leave the vehicle unattended while the
engine is running. The vehicle could move suddenly, espec ially when the vehicle is in
gear, resulting in accidents and persona l in-jury.
can explode and can cause a vehicle condition.
Never use starting assist fluids .
moving, or if you try to restart the engine right after switching it off.
Avoid high engine speeds,
Do not le t your ve hicle warm up while stan d­ing; in stead . start drivi ng right awa y aft er making s ur e that yo u have good visib ilit y t hro ug h w indows. This help the e ngine reac h opera t­
ing temp e rature faste r an d ke ep d own emissions.

you are
prevent dam age, stop before the tires of yo u r
v ehicle touc h a parking bar rier or curb.
on page 179.
Lights
Possible cause or me aning Prope r re s ponse up
<®> Parking brake engaged.
Brake fluid too Check brake
or ABS: ized Volkswagen failure.
The brakes wor k withou t
BRAKE
Facili-ty. Check, and if necessary replace. brake pads.
switc hed off by the system.
malf unction . an aut horized Volkswage n deale r or an au-
thorized Volkswagen Facility .
Together with or ABS : Facility. malfunction.
The vehic le brakes
Driv e a s hort distance at a speed of 1 -
12 mph (15-km/ h). th e indicator light battery has been reconnect ed. stays see
an authorized Volkswagen dealer or an authorized Volkswagen 238.

Lights cause or up
I
ES deactivated.
I Together with indicator malfunction .
T ogethe r with warning
or BRAKE:
Brake not dep ressed.
cause
I
The butt on in the is not
engaged .
When the ign ition is switch ed on,
text messages can cause the to break down in traffic and
or text WARN­
stop the as soon as it is safe to do so.
Driving with bad brakes can cause a and serious
the brake warning BRAKE or does not go out, or comes on when driving, either the brake or there is a the as soon as you can do so and get expert assistance 187, Brake
fluid.
the brake warning comes on at the same time as the or the
187 . automatically
turns on when you turn the ignition on and off.
an authorized Volkswagen or an thorized Volkswage n The brake s work without
to
Adapt driving to
road conditions.
E ngage the Automatic
Lock
This up brake
you is safe to drive, drive and very authorized Volkswagen Service or other
spected. Avoid sudden hard braking and steering.
or does not go out, or if it comes on while driving, the system is not working can then be stopped with the
s tandard brakes (without not have the protection
thorized Volkswagen Service as soon as
Starting, shifting, parki ng 181

Switching
Fig. 114
on page 179.
Brake fluid
Fig. 11 5
on pag e 179.
Brake fluid
absorbs water from the air over time.
To o much water in the brake fluid will damage the brake system. Water also lowers th e boiling point of the brake fluid. Too much water in the brake flu id can cause vapor lock during heavy brake use or hard braking. Vapor lock reduces braking
ty of others depends on brakes that are worki ng
properly at all times
The Electronic
EDL and
can be switched off by pressi ng @ 114
wh ile the engine is running. off
When driving in deep s now o r on loose
When the vehicle back and forth when you are stuck.
on again by pressing @ 114. Brake specifications
Volkswagen has developed a special brake fluid
that is optimized for the brake system in your Volkswagen. Volkswagen recommends that you
use brake fluid that conforms to qua lity standa rd VW Standard
F ederal Motor Vehicle 116 4 o r
14 also complie s wi th 116 4 and 4925 4
requ irements . However. brake fluid that generally complies with s ta ndard 116 4 o r 4925 essarily comply with the special requirements of VW s ta ndard
cle.
Appropriate bra ke fluid
can be purchased from
you r authorized Volkswagen dealer or authorized
Volkswagen
The f lu id level in the transparent brake fluid voir must always be between the and MAX marking

you cannot
clearly see th e brake fluid level in the brake fluid
r eservoir , p lea se see an authorized Volkswagen
dealer or authorized Volkswagen Service Facility.
Th e brake
Br ake fluid must be changed according to the serv­
ice schedule in your =>booklet Warranty and Main­
tenance . Have the brake fluid ch ecked by an au­
t h orized Volkswagen dealer or an aut horized
Volk swage n Service tha t m ee ts the standa rds
Brake failure and reduced brake pe rformance
can be caused by not having enough brake
f luid in the reservoir or by old or incorrect brake fluid.
Always change the brake fluid according to the service sch edule in book-let Warranty and Mainten ance.
Hard braking with old brake fluid may cause vapor lock. Vapor lock reduces braking performance , increases stopping distances
and can even cau se total brak e failure.
Always make sure that only the correct brake fluid is used. standard 14 or standa rd 116
standard s tand ard 116 4, do not use it.
The brake fluid must be new .
Brake fluid is poisonous.
To reduce the risk of poisoning, never use food, beverage or other non-original contain-ers to store brake fluid.
store brake fluid in its clo sed , origi-nat container and keep it out of the reach of children.
Brake fluid will damage vehicle paint. Wipe any brake fluid off vehicle paint immediately.
Brake the envir onment. Brake fluid tha t has leaked out must be col­
lec ted and disposed of properly , cable e nvir onmen tal reg ulatio ns.

Screw the cap neck you hear it
you hear it shut. The must be with the vehi­body.
WARNING
burns, and other severe injuries.
stop once the pump noz­
from
may the environment.
on
________
on page 214.
The engine compartment of any motor
you
know how to carry out the job,
have the correct information and the
proper and
are wi th the necessary safety precau­
tions
you are uncertain in any way, have the work done by an authorized Serious injury may from pe rf ormed work. Make
s ur e that you check the The best thing is to check them every time you
129
227
Brake fluid 179
Tire pressu re
beams and high beams
-
- Brake
regardin g changing
At the gas station 217

Care,
this sect ion
know how to carry out the
have the correc t technical information and the
proper too ls and supplies, and
are fami liar with the necessary safety precau­
t ions
you are uncertain in any
Fa cility. from improperly per­
formed work.
More
Exterior views
Windshie ld wipe r and was he r 129
S tart ing and stoppi ng t he engi ne
Brake fluid 179
Vehicle battery
E ngine oil 227
Engin e coolant 233
Parts, accesso ries, repairs and modifications 283
Unintend ed vehicle movement during mainte­nanc e work can ca use serious personal inju­ries.
Care , cleaning, maintenance
Never work under the vehicle unless you have safely secured the vehicle from moving. you mus t work under the vehicle with the
wheels on the g round , alway s make sure that the vehicle is on level ground, that
Th e engine compartment of any motor vehi­cle is a potent ially dangerous area and can cause serious personal injury.
Always use extreme caution when doing any work
Never p erform any work in the engine compartment unless you know exactly how to carry out the job and have the correct tec h­nical information and the correct tools .
you are uncertain about what to do, have the work performed by an authorized
Volk swagen dealer, an authorized Volksw a­
ge n Service Facility, or another qualified workshop. Serio us persona l injury may result from improperly performed work.

Never open or close the engine hood if To reduce th e risk of electrica l shock and steam or coolant is escaping. Hot steam or personal injury
-Never touch ignition cables. Never ant escaping from the engine. touch other components of the high
Always the eng ine down com-age electronic ignition syste m .
opening the hood.
-Never touch the wiring of the Discharge (Xenon) headlights.
system burn skin on contact.
you are read y to open the hood: Moving parts in th e engine compartment can
- Firm ly apply the parking brake a nd shift cause serious personal injury on contact. the transmission into Park (P) (automatic)
vehicles with Keyless Access, make member that the radiator fan is temperature-
s
ure that the remote contro l vehicle key is controlled and can come on sudden ly even
out of range of th e vehicle and that the ve- when the engine
has been switched off for a
hicl e cannot be started by depres sing the 44. ignition.
-
Always keep children and others away you have to perform a check or repair from the engine compartment and never when the engine is runn ing, there are more leave them unsupervised. risks from the rotating parts, such as the
hair do not get caught in
ries. rotating engine
parts. B efore starting an y
- Turn
the cap
fluids onto hot parts of the engine o r exhaust system can
cause a fire. -
Always use
extreme caution if the ac-
ce lerato r pedal has to be depressed to perform a check. The vehicle will start to move even if the parking brake i s on.
Never leave any objects in the engine compartment, for examp le cleaning rags and tools. Objects left b ehind can cause malfunc-lions, engine damage, and even fires.
High voltage sy stems in the engine com part-ment can ca use electrica l shocks or even
electrocution, severe burns, other serious in-juries, and eve n deathl
Neve r short-circuit the electrica l syste m .
B e especially ca reful when using jumper ca-
Operating fluids and some materials in the engi ne compartment can catch fire easily, causing burns an d other serious personal in-juries
Do not smoke .
b les. The
vehicle 's battery could exp lode! Never work next to open flames or sparks .
223

Engine life is influenced by how you drive the vehi­
cle for the first miles (1 ,600 km). Even after­
wards , driv ing at moderate engine speeds, espe­
tend to reduce
engine wear and help the engine to last longe r and
go farther . But do not dri ve at an excess ive ly low
engi n e speed , either . A lways downshi ft if the en­
gin e is not running smoothly . For the first
Do not use
Don't le t t he engine speed get above 2/3 the
max imum speed.
Do not tow a trailer .
Parts and accessories
on pag e 283.
Volkswagen recomme nds that you consult an au­
tho
rized Vol kswagen dealer or authoriz ed Volkswa­
gen Service Facility before purchas ing accesso ­
ries, spare parts or other equipment. Always do so
i f you want to
on page 283.
Operating fluids and parts that wear out w ith use (such as timing belts, tires , engine coolants ,
engine oils, spark plugs, and vehic le batteries) are
constantly being improved . For this reason, it is im ­
portant to have operating fluids ch anged and
wear­ing parts rep laced by an au thorized Volkswage n
de ale r or authorized Volk swagen Service Facility.
Authorized Volkswagen dealers and authorized
Volkswagen Service Facilities are a lways up- to ­
date regarding new developmen
ts and ch anges .
284 cleaning , maintenance F
rom
to
New tires and rep lacing tires 258
Brakes 183
Breaking in a new engine incr ease serv ice life and reduce oil co nsump tion. Improper veh icle modifications and r e pairs
affect the performance of the airbag system and cause malfunctions and severe personal injuries.
Improper use of operating and equip­m ent can cause accidents , serious personal injuries , burns and/or poisoning.
WARNINGS on the package before us-ing vehicle care products.