check engine light VOLKSWAGEN GOLF 2012 User Guide

Engine
this section you'll find information about
Warning light and en gine coolant tempe rature
gaug e ................................. 233
En gine coolant spec ifica tions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Checking engine coolan t level and toppi ng
o ff 236
Ne ver do any work
on the coolant system unle ss
you
know exactly how to carry out the job,
have the correct technical inform ation and the
proper tools, supplie s, and operating fluids, and
are fa miliar with the necessary safety
you are uncertain in any way, have the work
done by an authori zed Volkswage n dea le r or an
a uth orized Volkswagen
in jury may
to wing =>page 149
Preparat ions for work ing in the engi ne page 222
Parts, accesso ries, repai rs and modifications =>page 283
Engine coolant is poisonous!
To reduce the risk of poisoning, never
store engine coolant in empty food or age containers or in any other containers that might mislead someone into drinking from them.
Always make sure there is enough of the correct coolant additive to provide proper tifreeze protection at the coldest tures that can be expe cted where the vehicle will be used .
At extremely cold temperatures, the ant could freeze, causing the vehicle to break down. The heater would also not work, and
vehi cle occupants could be without
Coolant and coolant additives can po llute the en vironme nt. leaking ope rati ng fluids
a nd dis pose of them properly in acco rdance with
applicab le environment al
Warning light and engine coolant temperature gauge
Fig.
perature range;© Warning zone.
first read and note the
on page 233.
the in dicator in the engine coolant tempera ture
gauge is located in the cold range @, the engine
h as not reached operating temperature . H igh
gi ne s peeds and heavy engine loads should be
avo ided .
Under normal driving con
ditions , the needle should
be in the middle of the gauge . The tempe ratu re
may go higher when the engine is working hard, espec ially i n h ot weather.
When
the ign ition is switched on, seve ra l warn ing and indicato r
the engine compartment 233

California Proposition 65 Warning
nect 2 vehicle batteries to each other when the ignition is switched on or the engine is
tem or electronic components.
violet rays may damage the battery housing.
dam-aged by freezing . Warning light
on
Alterna tor malfun ction .
W he n t he igni tion i s sw itched on, severa l wa rnin g
a n d i ndi cato r li g ht s
come on brie fly for a functio n
check . They go out after a few seconds.
Failure to heed warning
Faci lity . H av e the
e le c tric al sys tem checked. o ff unn ecessa ry electrica l loads . The ve-batt ery
to h ee d warning or text can result in vehicle damage.

Fig. 133 the engi ne compartment: Remove the
cover from the vehicle battery.
first read and note the tory information and heed the on page 238.
of the battery if th e vehicle has high in with a
warm a nd if the vehicle has an
Prepare the for work in the engine pa rtm ent 222
the engine hood in Introduction on
page 222
With a hard cover: Press on the 133 in direct ion of t h e arrow and remove the cove r upwa rd.
W ith a son cover: the cove r to the
side in th e direction of the arrow 1 34 .
Checking the vehicle battery acid
the lighting co nd it ions are poo r, use a so tha t you can see the ba ttery charge
indica tor and
The rou nd batt ery window on th e top of the battery ch anges
Care, cleaning, maintenance Fi
g. 134
cove ring of the vehic le battery .
Action cation
Battery
is too The vehicle battery may need to be Light yellow replaced. Have it chec ked by an or colorless thorized Volkswagen or an a uthor ized Volksw ag en
is sa tisfac-
tory.
Working on the batteries can cause serious acid burns, explosion, or
can burn unprotec te d skin and cause ne ss. and eye protection.
Never out of th e battery vents a nd burn you.
Never open a vehi cle battery .
you get battery acid in your eyes or on your skin, immediately rinse with water for several minutes and t hen ge t immediate
medical attention.
you any battery acid, get medi-

Charging,
on page 238.
Charging the vehicle battery
Vehicle batteries should be charged by an author­
ized Volkswagen dealer or an authorized Volkswa­
gen
because the factory -installed
battery requires a charger with overload protection
Replacing the vehicle battery
The battery in your vehicle is
batteries meet­
ing standards TL 825
electrical system, note the following :
off
Unlock the vehicle before disconnecting the
battery; otherwise the alarm system
Fir st disconnect the negativ e cable(-) and then the positive
Connecting the vehicle battery
Pr ior to reconnecting the battery , switch off electrical sys tems and devices and the ignition .
Connect the posit ive cable(+) first and then the
negative cable (-)
After the battery is connected and the ignition is
sw itched on, different indicator light s may come on. They should go out after you drive a short distance
ice Facility and have the checked.
th e ign ition not start after reconnecting the vehicle battery , lock the vehic le from the outside
and unlock it again. Then try to start the ignition
again.
lhe ignition cannot be switched on, con­
tact an authorized Volkswagen dealer, an author­
ized Volkswagen
o r another quali­
fied workshop for assistance.
Automatic electrical load deactivation
onboard electrical system management auto mati ­takes steps to help prevent battery drain.
The idle speed is increa sed so that the alterna­
t o r provides more power.
Th e power to devices that consume a lot of electricity is cut back or switched off completely.
When the engine is started, the power supply to the 12
Long periods when the engine is not running,
especially when the ignition is on .
Using electr ical sys tems or devices when the
engine is swi tched off. Leaving the
The selecto r lever is left for a long period of time in any position other than P when the ignition
is swi tched off =>page 175.
Failure to use th e proper battery with proper mounting and connection s may cause short circu its, fires, and serious persona l injuries.
Always use only maintenance-free or cy-
cle-free, leak-proof batteries with the sa me
s p ec ifications and dimensions as the original
equipment b attery. Specifications are listed
on the battery housing.
Wh en the vehicle battery is ch arged, it produ-
ces highly explosive hydroge n gas.
th e engine compartment

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

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

safety seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 the rear seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
seat
B ooster seat ........................ 114 Child seat mounting .................. 114 Co nvertible child sea t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 Infant carrier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 Sec uring with loc ka bl e safety belt ....... 115 Securing with safety belt .............. 115
seats
Child seat mounting .............. 110, 111 Informati on about child restraint systems 121 Transpo rting children in vehicles . . . . . . . 107
veh ic le care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
Climatronlc
Also see: Air cond iti o ning . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
............. ........•.......... 18 Sett ing t he time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 8 Setting time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Closing
Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . 51 Windows .......................... 53 w ith Keyless Access . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 . . . . . . . 160
Cockp it ......................... ...... 9
. . . . . 28 1
Comfort turn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Communication window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Compact spare Drivin g style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
Front seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
sunro of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 win dows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Engine coo la nt . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Counter-steering assistance . . . . . . . . . . . 194
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
D
Data recorded by control units . . . . . . . . . 287
Data recorded
(DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Daytime running (DRL) deactivation
DRL parking feat ure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Daytime running lights (DRL) parking fea-
ture DRL deact i
vation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Declaration of compliance . . . . . . . . . . . . 294
. . . . . . . . . . . . . 293 Deicing door lock cylinders . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Deicing locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 49
Department of Transportation uniform tire quality grades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
Diagnosis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297 Differential lock Br aking ass istance systems . . . . . . . 186
Digital clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Dim en sions . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Doors ............................... 47 Child safe ty lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Emergency closing and ope ning . . . . . . . 301 Warnin g light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Driver door Overview .....................•..... 9 Driving
Driving checklists and warning s . . . . . . . . . 31 Driving in other countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Driving throug h wa te r on roads . . . . . . . . 33 Efficiency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189 Environmen tally . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189 gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 5 too . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216 Getting ready . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 on a dow nhill grade . . . . . . . . . . . 183 on an

Eyeglass storage compartment . . . . . . . . . 158
F
FAQs ............................... 297
Features , troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297 capacity
Windshield washer fluid reservoi r . . . . . . 132
Fire extinguisher Trailer lowing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151 Floor mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Fog
lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
aske d questions . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
Front airbags
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 1
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Gasoline . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . 219
Fuel capa cities
F uel tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Fuel
consumption D riving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Wha t inc reases fuel consumption? . 296, 298
Fu el
container, p o rt abl e . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Fu el
ca p . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
C losing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Fu el
gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215 light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Fueling Wrong
fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
G
cod ing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
F use boxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319
G
12 plus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Fue l . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Grades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Gearshift lever
Manual transmiss ion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Generator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Getting re ady . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
31 Gla sses storage compartm ent.......... 158
Glove compartment
Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
storage compartments . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Gross vehicle weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
H
Headlight range adjustm ent . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Dynamic headlight range adjustment . . . . 126
Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
H igh beam switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 23
. . . . . . . . . . . 195
Horn
11
removal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
eng ine and igni tion . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
keys
see Vehicle keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
U nau thorized vehicle key . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
an emergency . . . . . . . . 299 light the brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Br ake syste m . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . converte r . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295
Ch ang ing a light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321 Checki ng engi ne . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Cruise control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
E mission control sys t
em . . . . . . . . . . . . 295 Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295
Engine coolan t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
E ng ine se nsor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227 ..............• . .............
. . 215
Remo te control key . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Sh ifting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Stee ring
lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192 Press ure Monitoring Syste m . . . . . . . . . 129
door unlocking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Pollen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Pollutants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Power locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Power locking switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Pow
er locking system A nl i-lheft alarm system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 doo r unlocking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Keyless Access . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
L ock ing from the outside . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Power
lock ing switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Un locking and locking fr om the inside . . . . 43
Un locking from the outside . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Power s
unroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 ............ ................ 56
Conv enience closing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Emergency closing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . M alfun ction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Opening ..............•............ 56
Pinch protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Pow
er wa sh er . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
Power windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Automa tic and open ing . . . . . . . . . 54 ............................ 53
Conven ience closing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Ma lfunction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Opening ........................... 53
P inc h protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Sw itc hes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Prehea ting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . 168
Preparations
Addi ng engine coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Adding engine
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Checki ng engine coolant . . . . . . . . . 236
Checking e ngi ne . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Light bulb repla cemen t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321
Vehic le battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . 127
Rear backrest
F oldi ng forward . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . 142
344
Rear hatch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
D riving with an open rear hatch . . . . . . . . 138
L ock ing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42, 5 1
Open ing
........................... Opening the rear hatch from inside the gage compartm ent. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . U nlock ing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Warning li ght . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rear seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
F olding back int o place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Rearv iew
mirror . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Rear
window defogger/defroster . . . . . . . .
Recalibrating tire pressure
T ire Mo nito ring System and button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Refueling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214 A t the gas station . . . . . . . . . . . . .
light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Release
button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Remote
control vehicle key
Ba ttery replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
see Vehicle keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Synchronizing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Remov ing
wax residu e . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
Repa irs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283, 285
L abels . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
Sticker s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
Wo rkshop lift . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
Replacement keys
see
keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Replacement parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283
Replacing parts . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . 284
Reporting Safety Defects . . . . . . . . .
. . . . 294
Resetting
tire pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Retrofit s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285 Roof rack
146
s
Safety belt height adjusters . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Safety belt load limiter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Safety belt position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Safety
belt pretensioner . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
S afety belt retractor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Belt position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Belt status display . . . .
Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Extender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .