light VOLKSWAGEN GOLF 2012 Owners Manual

Washing the vehicle
tory information and heed the on page 243 .
T he longer insect splatter , bird droppings, tree sap,
r oad dirt , indust rial deposits , tar , soot , road
and othe r aggressive materials stay on your cle, the more damage they do to the paint finish.
H igh temperatures (includi ng strong sunlight)
oughly.
Car wash
Pay close attention to the information provided
by the car wash operator . B efo re goi ng throu gh a
ca r was h, b e s ure to take th e usual precautio ns t o
avoid damag e , such as closi ng the windows ,
The paint finish is toug h enough th at the vehicle can
the wheels and under the door
After the vehi cle ha s been washed , the wet brakes or, in winter, brake discs or pads ed with ice, react slower and need longer stopping distances .
WARNING
Always dry the brakes and clean off any ice coatings with a few careful applications of the brake . Make sure not to endanger other motorists or cyclists or disobey legal require-
ments .
edges under the vehicl e can cut ex-
posed skin.
Always protect your hands and arms from cuts on sharp metal edges when cleaning the under-body , the inside of the wheel housings,
etc.
The water temperature must not be more
than
Ne ver clean headlights with a dry cloth or sponge . Always use a w et cloth o r s ponge . For best result s use soapy water.
When washing or rinsing the vehicle in cold weather , do not
cult to open the vehicle!
To help prevent vehicle damage
in a car wash:
in the car wash to help prevent damage to wheel rims and tires!
Make sure there is enough clearance for the
height and width of the vehic le .
To help prevent paint damage to the engine
hood, place wiper blades against the shield after they have dried. Do not let them
snap back into place .
Lock the rear hatch to prevent unintentional
opening in the car wa sh .

Washing with a power washer
tory information and heed the on page 243.
A lways
M ake sure th ere is e nough dista nc e to soft .
N ever u
se concentrated jet nozzles or dirt
use of power washers can cause serious invisible permanent damage leading to tire and loss of vehicle control. This can cause accidents and serious personal in-jury.
blasters" to clean tires .
Even spraying from a relatively long distance for a very short time can do visible or invisi-
After the vehicle has been washed, the wet brakes or, in winter, brake discs or pads coat-ed with react slower and need longer stopping distances.
Always dry the brake s and clean off any coatings with a few careful application s of the brake. Make sure not to endanger other motorists or cyclists or disobey require-ments.
P le a se first read and note the
on page 243 .
C lea
ning windows and outside mirrors
Water temperature should not be more than
To help prevent damage to the paint, do not wash the vehicle in direct sunlight.
When using a power washer or steam er, only spray the sensors directly for a short period of time and always keep the nozzle at least 4 inches em) from the sensor.
Do not clean icy or snow-covered windows with a power washer.
hav e
a bsorbe d an oily resid ue t ha t sme ar th e glass
s u rfaces .
U
se w indow cleaner or a s ilicone remover to mov e r ubbe r, oil, grease and silico ne dep osits
care and maint enanc e 245

Upholstery and fabric trim with ligh t gene ra lized
soil ing can be cleaned with a co mme rcially b le dry-foam cleaner.
t he upho lstery fabric and fabric trim pieces are
heavi ly soiled , see your authorized
dealer or authorized
necessary, have the cleaning
do ne by a professional.
Cleaning upholstery on non-heated seats, manual seats, or seats w ithout airbag
components
Before using any cleaning agent, familiarize
yourse lf with instruct ions and warni ngs on the
packaging .
upholstery, fabric trim, Alca ntara ® holstery , and carpeting regula rly with a sui table
b rush attachment.
A soft sponge or a commercially available free microfiber cloth may be used for general
clea nin g
Clean Alcantara ® surfaces with a damp cotton
or woo l cloth or a commercially available lint-free
microfiber cloth
Upholstery and fabric trim with light gene ra lized can be c leaned wit h a comme rcia lly
the uphols tery fabric and fabric trim pie ces are
heavi ly soiled , see your authorized
dealer or authorized Facility
before you begin cleani ng to learn about suitable
c leaning options .
necessary , h ave the cleaning
done by a profess ional.
Removing stains
When treating stains, it may be necessary to clean
t h e ent ir e su rface and not jus t the stain itse lf. This
is especially true if the entire su rface has become
d irty from normal use. Otherw ise , the a rea that is
t reated may become lighter than the untreated
a rea . you have qu es tions or concerns , co nsu lt a
p ro fessiona l c leaner .
Typ e
of sta in Recommended cleaning for fabri c and upholstery
Water-based stains, such as -Moisten a sponge with water and rub the stain gently with a circular coffee or fruit juice . tion. -Wipe dry with an absorbent clot h.
Persisten t stains , such as
c h ocolate or make-up. -
Use only Volkswagen -approved clea ning produc ts. -necessary, have the fabric or uphols tery profess io na lly cleaned.
Grease-based stains , such as oil , lipst ick , etc. -
Use only Volksw agen-approved clea nin g prod ucts. -
Hav e the airbag syste m inspecte d
w age n deale r or auth oriz e d V olkswag en
Do not u se steam cleaners becau se the
s te am could ca use the dirt to pen etrate deeper into the fa bri c a nd make i t impossible
Pressure wa shers a nd cooling spray s ca n
d am ag e the uphols tery.

Engine
In this sectio n yo u 'll find informatio n about
Indicato r lights ............... ........... 295
Cata lytic co nverter
..... 296
More information:
Sh ifting gears 171
Refueling 214
Fuel 219
Engine oil
Vehicle ba ttery
N otice about data recorded by vehic le co ntr ol
modu les
T owing 330
The vehicle exhaust system and the catalytic
converter get very hot. This can cause a fire
and serious personal injury.
Never apply additional undercoating or rust proofing on or near the exhaust mani-fold, exhaust pipes, catalytic converter , or heat shields .
Proposition 65 Warning
constituents,
and certain vehicle components contain or emit chemicals known to the
addition, certain fluids contained in vehicles and certain products of component wear contain or emit chemicals
known to the
on page 295.
L
ights up Possibl e ca use Proper respon se
Engine contr
ol malfunctio n (Elec tron ic Pow -Have engi
ne checked immediat ely by an au-
er
Contr ol). thor
ized Volkswage n dea ler or aut hor ized Volks-
wagen Fa cility .
Engine contr ol/ monitoring system
malfunc- E
ase off the accelerator . Carefully drive to the
lion (engine Malfunction Indicator Light- n
ea rest auth orized Volkswagen dealer or au-MIL) thorized
Volkswagen Facility . Ha ve en-
gine checked .
Flashes Possible cause Proper response
Ease
off the accele rator. Caref ully drive to the Misfire , which can damage th e catalytic con-
nearest authorize d Volkswagen dealer or au-.
thorized Volkswagen Service Faci lity. Have en-
gine checked .
When
the ignition is switched severa l warning
and indicator ligh ts come on briefly for a func tion
check . The y
go out after a few seconds . Failure to h
eed warning lights or text WARN-
can result
Vehi cle care and maint enance

As long as the indicator lights are on, expect engine malfunctions , increased
fuel consumption and loss of engine efficiency . <1
tory information and heed the on page 295.
T he
catalytic converter provides exhaust gas lrealmenll o help reduce pollutants in the exhaust
gas . To help ensure long service life of the exhaust
system and gasoline engine catalytic converter :
use unleaded fuel.
Neve r comple te ly empty the fuel la nk .
Do not exceed the corre ct oil level 227 .
Do not low the vehicle to start it, but use a
j u mp-start instead 327.
Care, cleaning, maintenance
you expe rience misfire s, loss of power or th e
Facili ty. Otherwise , gasoli n e
could reach the exhaust system and gel into the
atmosphere . The catalyt ic converter could also be
damaged
by overhea ting! <1

Fuses
Introduction
this sec tion find information about:
Fuses in the vehicle
..................... 318
Repla cing blown
fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319
Due to on go ing deve lopmen t of the vehic le , of fuses and the bin ed fuse protection of multiple loads with one
fuse , an up-to -date overview of the fu se locat ion per load is not possible at the time of print ing . tailed information regarding fuse box layou t is from auth orized Volkswagen dealers and
author ized Vol ksw agen
ge neral , one fuse can protect several loads. load can also be protected by seve ral fuses .
Find out why the fu se blew and correct the
lem before replacing a blown fuse . placed fuse blows again after a s hort time , the
e lec tr ic al system should be chec ked by an auth o r­
ized Volkswagen deale r o r an autho rized Volkswa­
gen
F acility .
More information:
Prepa ration s for working in the engine compart­
ment
High volta g e systems in the engin e
tronic ignition system.
Using the wrong fuse, using a blown fuse
that has been repaired , and using metal ob-jects in plac e of fuses to complete the electri-connection in the circuit can cause fires
and serious p erson al injury.
with a fuse of the same amperage (same or and same imprint) and same
Never replace fuses with a metal strip , a
paper clip, or a similar objec t.
To help preven t damage to the electrical
system , switch off ail lights and accessories ,
switch off the ignition , and remov e the key from the ignition switch before replacing a fuse .
ferent loca tions In the electrical system.
A single load (a sin gle elec trica l com ponent )
fuse may pro tect several loads (seve ral electrical co mp one nts ). Prac tic al tip s 317

Fig. 167 o f a blown fuse.
tory information and heed the WARN­on page 317.
Preparations
off the headlights . the ignition , and electrical consumers .
the appropriate fuse box
167.
a flashlight on th e fuse. This makes it easier
t o
165 fro m the fuse box cover .
For small fuses, slide the tweezers 168 onto the fuse from the top A. Fig
. 168 Removing
or inserting a fuse using the
p lastic tweezers .
For larger fuses, slide the tweezers onto the
f use from the side B.
the fuse is blown , replace the fuse with a new fuse of the same amperage (same color and same
impri nt) and same overall size
necessary, replace the plastic tweezers in the
fuse box cover .
Replace the cove r.
Practica l tips

Changing
Introduction
this sec tion
bulbs in th e body of th e vehic le . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325
C hangi ng t he lice nse plate
lig ht bulb . . . . . . . . 32 6
C hang ing a light bulb
requ ir es a certa in am ount of
sh ould a lwa ys kee p a box in the ve h icle with th e rep lace ment bulbs require d f or traffic safety .
R ep lacemen t bulbs are ava ilab le from you r autho r­
i z ed
Additional
E xte rior views
Lig hts a nd 122
P repa ra tions for workin g in the eng ine compart­
m en t
too l kit
F uses
Stop Always read and heed the before doing any work in the engine
c ompartment
Always let a burned out
of the necessary procedures. particular, never remove a headlight unless you know how to carry out the job and have the correct tools and bulbs.
you are uncertain about what to do,
have the work performed by an authorized
Volkswagen dealer, an authorized
and H7 bulbs replaced by a qualified
technic ian .

N
After replacing a headlight bulb or other light bulb, always make sure that the rubber covers or plastic caps have been properly and secure-
Indicator light
to help prevent water from getting into the electrical connections and headlight housing and damaging the electrical system.
on
Lights up Possible cause Proper response
Light bulb of the exterior vehicle lighting not Replace the light bulb that isn't working .
working .
When the ignition is switched on, several warning
and indicator lights come on briefly for a function
check . They go
out after a few seconds.
WARNING
Failure to heed warning lights and instrument cluster text messages can cause the vehicle to break down in traffic and result in a
can result in vehicle damage.
indicated. However, indicator light come on if LEO s fail.
on
Checklist
for replacing a light bulb. Please carry out these steps only in the order listed
1.
179.
3.
4.
5.
6 .
7.
8.
9 .
position
122 .
Automatic transmission :
the transmission into Park (P) 171.
the engine and remove the key from the ignition switch 165.
Manual transmission: Engage a gear
122.
Let the burned
out light cool down.
Check
if the fuse is blown 317 .
Replace the burned
out light according to
Practical tips 321

Checklist (continued)
12. Never touch the glass
of the light bulb with your bare hands. Fingerprints can cloud the out er sur­face of the light bulb when heated , affecting the lighting power, clouding the reflector, and reduc ing
the bright ness .
1 3 . Always make sure tha t the new bulb works .
cor­
rectly ; the connection plug may not be complete ly seated ; the corresponding fuse may be burned
out ; or the bulb may be bad .
14. Always have the headlights adjusted by an authorized Volkswage n dealer or an author ized Vol ks­
wagen Facility after a headlight bulb has been replaced.
Disregarding the safety-related checklist may
lead to accidents and serious personal inju­ries.
Replacing headlight bulbs
the checklist. Follow accepted safety practices and use common sense .
Always insert and remove lamps carefully to avoid damage to the vehicle paint or to other parts of the vehicle. Fig . 1 69
on page
169 Low be am head- High
beam head-
Parking
321.
2 .
the engine hood
Do