do it yoursel VOLKSWAGEN GOLF 2009 Owners Manual

Do it yourself .............. 297 -Fuses ....................... 317
tips
- Frequently asked question s ...... 297
-an eme rgen cy ..................... 299
- Ch anging . ............
327
- Towing .........
and opening .......
-kit ....................... Abbreviations ...... ............... 335
-covers .......
- Chang ing a ... 31 Index ..... ....... 337
Table of contents

Damage to safety belts re duces their effective ne ss and increa ses the risk of seri­ous personal injury and death whenever the
v ehicle is being used.
Torn or frayed safety belts can te ar, and
damag ed safety belt hardware can break
web­
bing, bindings, buc kles, or retractors are damaged , hav e the belts replaced immediate­
ly with the correct replacement belts proved by Volkswagen for your vehicle, mod­el , and model yea r.
Fig . 45 Warning light in the instrume nt
Lights up or Possible caus e flas hes
Driver and front p asse nge r have not
tened their safety belts, if fr o nt passenger sea t is occup ied.
Heavy items on the front passe nge r seat.
Whe n the ign itio n is switched on, seve ra l warni ng
and indica tor lights come on brie fly for a func tion
check. They go out after a few seconds.
A warning chime also sounds.
Replacement after a crash may be neces­
s ary even if a sa fety belt shows no visible damag e. Anchorages that have been loaded must also be inspect ed .
D amaged safety belts must be replaced ; they cannot be repaired .
Never try to repair a dam ag ed s afety belt yourself. Never remove or modify the safety
belts in any way.
Have safety belts, bindings, retractors and buckles replaced by an authorized
Always keep the belts clean . Dirty belts
may not work
tory information and heed the WARN­on page 69.
Proper response
Fasten safety belts .
Re move it e m s f
rom fr ont passe nger seat and
stow them safe ly .
T
he safety belt wa rnin g light comes on f or 6 sec­
onds when the ignition is sw itched on. A warning
ch ime also sounds for up to 6 seco nds if the driv­er's safe ty belt is not bu ckl ed . Th e c hime stops
soone r if the driver buckles his or her safe ty be lt.

Brake system malfunction
you brake and find that vehicle doesn't brake
nearly as
come on
and a m essage may appear in the instrument ter display. you believe the vehic le is safe to
d rive, immediately take it to the nearest authorized
Volkswagen dealer or authorized Volkswagen
Service
f or repair. Drive slowly and very
carefully , for the longer stopping distance ,
and be ready to push longer and harder on the
brake pedal to slow the vehicle down.
Brake booster
The brake booster works only when the engine is
running . in creases the force on the brakes above
and beyond the pressure put on the brake pedal by
the driver .
New brake pad s do not provide maximum braking performance.
miles You can
compensate for the reduc ed braking force by putting more pressure on the brake
pedal.
other vehicles too closel y or put yourself into other situations that might require sudden, hard braking , especially
when the brake pads have not b ee n broken
in.
Overh eated brakes reduce the vehicle's stopping power and increa se stopping dis­tances considerably.
that are long or s teep, always reduce speed
and shift into lower gear (manual or automat-
184 While driving
ic transmission). This let the vehicle use
engine braking and reduce the load on the brakes. Otherwise, the brake system could overheat and possibly fail.
A damaged front spoiler or a non-standard spoiler can redu ce airflow to th e brakes and make them overheat.
Wet brakes or brakes coated with ice or road
salt react slower and need longer stopping distances.
apply the brakes to tes t them .
Driving when the brake booster is not work­ing increases stopping distances and can
cause accidents and serious per sonal inju­
rie s.
Nev er let the vehicle coas t when the
the bra ke booster is not working (suc h
a s wh en th e vehic le is being towed) , a lot more pedal force is needed to slow down and stop.
Neve r the brake s by keeping your foot on the brak e pedal when you do not want to brak e. Constant pres sure on the brake ped al
ca n make the brak es overheat. Riding the bra kes substantially r educe brakin g per­formance, increase stopping distance, and can
cause complete brake system failure .
that are long or s teep, always reduce speed and shift into lower gear (manua l or automatic tran smission). This gine brakin g and reduce the load on t he brakes. Otherwise, the brake system cou ld
o ve rheat and possibly fail. use the brakes when you n eed them to slow the vehicle down more or to stop.

gency and even then only with
special care and at low speed .
Wheel rims
Please first read and note the tory information and heed the on page 258.
The design
of the wheel bolts is matched to the
factory-installed wheels. different wheels are wheel bolts with the right leng th and head shape must be used . This helps to ensure
that wheels can be mounted securely and that the
brakes
page
rect tighteni ng torque The requi red
tightening tor que for your vehicle 's whee l bolts is
88 ft-lbs
Faci lity.
rim rings
Wh eel rims with bolted rim rings have several
parts . Th e parts are bolted together with special
screws in a spec ial process. This helps to ensure that they work properly , prevent leaks, run true
and safely. Damag ed wheel rims must be replaced,
New and
on
page 258.
Care,
tir es in
req uirements. and you must never take them apart or try to repair
them yourself . Have an authorized Volkswagen
dealer or authorized Volkswagen
rims with
orative covers attached to the rim with self-locking
screws . you wan t to repl ace damaged wheel
covers , contact you r authorized Volkswagen dealer
or autho rized Volkswagen
U sing improper or dam aged wheel rims can affect driving safety, cause accidents and vere injury.
Use only whee l rims approved for the
Regularly check wheel rims for damage and replace them if necessary .
loosening and tightening of the on rims with rim ring s can
cause accidents and severe personal injury.
connections on rim rings.
H ave work on rim rings performed by an authorized wagen or authorized ice

up a warning triangle or other warning device in order to alert other motorists and cyclists.
9. Let the engine cool down and get expert assistance if necessary .
are on, use the turn
Traffic suddenly slows down or stops in front of you to warn those approach ing from behind .
any emergency situation.
When being towed.
Always obey traffic laws that govern the use of
emergency
the emergency are not working, a
Disregarding the safety-related checklist may
lead to accidents and serious personal ries.
accepted safety practices and use common sense.
Do it yourself
The vehicle exhaust system and the catalytic converter get very hot. They can cause fires and serious personal injury.
The vehicle battery be drained if the emergency flashers are on for a long time -
even if the ignition is switched off.

with twist-off hubcaps
To remove Twist hubcap to the left or right until
it loosens from the whee l rim 157 .
Grasp behind one of the lugs and pull the
tory information and heed the on page 307.
Pulling off the wheel cover
Take the lug wrench and wire clip out of the
Place the wire clip hook in one of the openings
o f the whee l cover.
the lug wrench through the clip 158
and pull the wheel co ve r off in th e dire ction of th e
arrow.
Do i t yourself
To install Push the hubcap onto the center of the rim.
Press the hubcap against the rim until it latch-
es.
Installing the wheel cover
Before installing the whee l cover, the ant i- theft
whee l bolt must be screwed into position
16 1 Otherwise , the wheel cover
cannot be installed .
Make sure that the valve cutout is aligned with the
valve
16 1 and press the wheel cover

in side To do so,
up the jack so it just fits underneath the point.
9. Positio n the jack so that its base is directly underneath the 163, making sure that the
en tire base of t he jack rests
the jack and wind up the jack at the same lime, derneath the
cranking up the jack the
to ous personal injury. To
eve n those approved for other Volkswagen
ground. Th e ground.
a hard , slippery surface (such as a use an anti-skid rubber mat or som ething to prevent the jack from
make sure the jack grips the vertical rib unde r the so that the jack does not off when you are ra ising
the 163 .
314 Do it yourself
other per-sons have any part of their body under the
you must work under a raised on a make sure that the vehi-is
the to one side or the engine is running.
is
s upported by a jack. Engine vibrations may
cause the off the jack.
Disregardi ng the safety-related checklist may to acc idents and serious personal inju-ries.
review and accep ted safety practices and use common sense .

Please perform the activities
remove the cove r in the wheel house lining from (arrow) .
Release the connecto r
and
171 as far as it goes to the left and
the bulb holder into the headlight and turn as far as it goes to the right.
Attach the connector to the bulb holder The connecto r mus t latch
audibly .
Replace
the cover in the whee l house
F ig. 172 the rear hatch : Removing the bulb
ho lder.
Please first read and note the introductory information and heed the on page
in the order specified:
1 . Review and
the rear hatch
of the screwdriver from the vehicle tool kit 172
Release the latch to remove the bulb holder.
Replace the burned out light bulb with a new bulb
of the same type.
Replace the
bulb holder . The locking lug must latch audib ly .
Attach th e cover . The cover must latch
Do it yourself

Changing the
the rear bumper : license plate light. Fig. 177 License plate light: removing the bulb
holder .
P le a se
first read and note the introductory information and heed the on page
in the order s p ecified :
17 6.
3 .
177 ®and disconnec t th e connector.
5. Turn the holder in the direc tion indicated by the arrow 177 @.
6.
the bulb ho lder in the lice nse plate light and turn it co unterc lockw ise in th e direction ind i-
cated by the arrow 177 until it stops.
8. Connect the connector to the bulb holder .
9. the license plate light carefully into the opening in the bumper . Make sure the license
plate light is installed in the correct direction.
Press the license plate
cannot replace the in LED license plate lights. Contact your authorized Volks­
wagen dealer or an Author ized Volkswagen ice
Do it yourself

Towing
this sectio n you 'll find informat ion about:
T owing on a comme rc ia l tow truc k . . . . . . . . . .
Tips on towing .......................... 33 1
Installing the front tow ing eye . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332
Installing th e rear towing eye . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333 Driving tips towing 333
Exterior views
295
WARNING
Never tow a vehicle without any electrical
power.
denly engage and you would not be able to steer of control the vehicle. trol of the vehicle, crash , and seriously injure yourself and others.
Towing on a
on page
To help avoid damaging th e vehicle , h ave it towed
o n ly by a professional towing company. Read and
heed the following
information:
General information
N ever let the vehic le be towed at speeds above
km).
Towing a vehicle changes the way it handles
and brakes . To help reduce the risk of an cident and serious personal injury, note the following:
ed:
-
will have to use considerably more
force to turn the steering wheel because
the power steering is not working.
stalling and removing the towing eye and the cover for the threaded hole behind the bumper.
Towing manual transmission vehicles
Release the parking brake .
the transm ission into Neutral (N).
necessary, the vehicle can also be towed with the rea r wheels off the grou nd
Towing automatic transmission vehicles
Release the parking brake.
the transm issio n into Neutral (N).
Tow the vehicle only with its fron t wheels off the
gro und