engine VOLKSWAGEN GOLF 2012 Owner's Manual

on page 58.
The cont rols on the front passenger seat mirro r
those on the driver seat. Fig
. 36 Lumbar support control (if app licable) .
There
may be both manual and elect rical
Forward or back-Adjust backrest angle. ward.
Press fig. 36 switch for each area:
Adjust lumbar support.
Adjust lumbar support height.
Improper use of electrical seat controls can cause serious personal injuries.
up the stored memory set-
tings for the front seats.
on ply concentrated pressure to a area of the seat or backrest.
the vehicle battery is too weak , the elect ri­cal seat adjustment controls may not work .
When entering and exiting the vehicle , be careful not to come into contact with any
switches that could change the seat adjustment.
Starting the engine stops seat adjustment.

Safety belts protect
Fig. Belted driver secured by the
neuver .
on page 69.
Used safe ty can make a big
to
the body in a co llision , and help prevent the
addition , safe ty reduce the danger of being
thrown out of the vehicle
or through the in the safety crumple zones, and other safety features (such as
airbags) engineered into today's The front
Using safety belts
crumple zones and other passive safety features
(such as the airbag system) are also designed to
absorb kinetic energy. By "absorbing " the kinetic
energy over a longe r pe riod
of time, the forces on
the body become more to
cause injury.
Although these examples are based on a fronta l
collision , safety
whether you're on a long trip or "just going to the
corner always buckle up and make sure
that others do, too.
Accident statist ics show that vehicle occupants
p roperly wearing safety
also
g reatly increases the ability of the supp lementa l
airbags to do thei r job in a collision. For this is required by in
most countries including the United
your Volkswagen is equipped with have to wear the safety
bag systems on your Volkswagen.
always wear your safety is properly restra in -
ed!
o n
Damage to safety reduces their overall effectiveness and increases the risk of serious injury and death whenever the
Check the condition of
webbing , the safety buckle tongue, and the
safety buckle latch and opening.
Do not pinch or damage the safety

find information about:
Indicator light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
129
W indshield wiper lever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Windshield wiper funct ions ................ 131
Windshiel d wiper service position . . . . . . . . . . 132
Checking and
Exterior views 6
Climate control
Preparations for working in the engine compart­
ment page 222
Exterior care and cleani ng
Windshield washer fluid without enough frost protection can freeze on the windshield and reduce
..
Worn or dirty wiper blades reduce
132. on
windshield washer reservoir at the next
opportun ity 132 .
Failure to heed warning lights or text WARN­can result in vehicle damage .
Light s and vision
129

Windshield wiper service position
Fig. 78
first re ad and no te the introduc­
on page 129.
away from the
Press the wiper down briefly 76 @ when the ign ition is off.
Wipers move into service position.
be­
fore driving! Switch the ignition on and press the
down briefly posi­tion.
Lifting the wipe r blades and tilting them a w ay from the windshield
Put the wiper arms in service position
Do not the wiper the wip­
er arms
To pre ven t da mage to the e ngine hood
and the winds hi eld wiper arms, o nl y when th ey
a re in the service position.
put the wipe r arm s down ag ai nst the Checking and
washer fluid reservoir .
first r ea d an d note the intro duc­
on p age 12 9.
the
the engine hood 222.
The washer 79.
if there is was her
with an appropriate
weather, use a that
capacity
T h e washer reservoir

additives into the washer reservoir. This which
washer antifreeze agent.
recommended by
and engine damage can oc-
Lights and vision

stow in the compartment. Loose objects can compartment and injure others on the road behind you.
ers
compartment for others to see. requirements.
Never use the rear hatch to or objects that stick out of the compartment.
rack or othe r
rack mounted on rear hatch
Driving with an open rear hatch can cause poisonous carbon monoxide in the engine exhaust to get into the passenger ment.
Driving a
first read and note the tory information and heed the on page 137.
For good
observe the
stow 138 .
Driv e gently.
Avoid sudden braking and driving maneuvers.
Brake if you were not
driving a
observe information abo ut driving with a 149.
1 46 .
attentiveness, poisoning, and of sciousness. can vere
driving to keep poisonous exhaust fumes from being drawn into the
to fit into the area,
you must drive with an open rear hatch, do the to reduce the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning:
-
the fresh air fan to the highest
speed.
The
open rear hatch changes the and height.
Heavy can change the way your and increase stopping distances. Heavy stowed or secured can shift suddenly, causing of and se riou s injury.
to keep it from shifting.
remember when transporting heavy objects that they change the vehicle's center of gravity and the way it
-as
heavy objects as far forward in the
tie down heavy items
Tran sporting 139

some area s, speed
is higher.
you are driv ing a new vehicle or a ve hicle with a new or rebui lt engine, do not tow a during the break-in period, about 283.
Technical requirements
tory informatio n an d heed the WARN­on page 149.
Use only a weight-car rying
hitch must be suitable for
you r
a "weight -dis­
tributing " or "load-equalizing " trailer hitch on your The vehicle is not designed for this kind of trailer hitch
Do not use a bumper-mounted traile r hitch
Never
a trailer hitch on the bumper or on the
bumper attachments. The trailer hitch must not in­
terfe re with the impact-absorbing bumper system.
Do not make any changes to the vehicle exhaust
and brake systems. From time to time, check that trailer hitch mounting bolts are secure ly fas­
tened. When you are not towing, remove the trailer
hitch. This
helps keep the trailer hitch from causing damage if your vehicle is hit from behind.
Engine cooling syste m
Tow i
ng a trailer makes the engine and its cooling
system work harder.
Before driving
maintenance more often because of the extra
load it has to move.
When you are not towing , remove the trailer hitch
Some models need a trailer hitch to tow or tow-start other vehicles. after it has
been removed. Be sure to stow it securely. Trailer brakes
your trailer has its own brakes , make sure it
meets
151 .
T ra
iler
Trailer lights must meet regulations 151.
Never connect the trailer lights directly to the elec­
t rical system
of your
Outside mirrors
you cannot see the traffic behind you using the
r egular outside mirrors, then you must ex­
t ended mirrors. Extended mirrors may also be re­
quired by law in some countries
I states I provin ­
ces . Always adjust the outside mirrors befo re dr iv­ing. It's vital that you always have a clear view to
the rear of the veh icle .
Maximum po w er con sumption fo r the trailer
Do not exceed the power ratings listed in the chart
b elow.
E l
ectr ica l load Maximum power
Taillights total

Volkswagen Service Vehicles with Xenon
gas-discharge self-adjust to vehicle load
and do not need manual adjustment.
Special towing considerations
th e t railer has an overrun brake, apply the
br akes
Due to the combined towing weight including
the higher gross vehicle weight, the stopping
tance is longer.
Be fo re drivi ng especially on
The vehicle's center of grav ity and , in turn, the
Weight distribution is especially bad if the is emp ty and the trailer is loaded.
Depending on how steep the is an d the
backwards when you first start moving.
When starting off with a tra iler on a
Depress and hold the brake pedal and depress
and hold the clutch (manu al transmission).
171, Shifting .
Unlock the parking brake a nd gently release it
whi le holding the unlock button. At the same time,
release the brake pedal and
depress the
accelerator and, for manual transmissions , let out
the clutch
you can feel the car moving ward . applicable, follow the instruct ions for the Hold feat ure
Do not release the parking brake lever until the
engine starts to move the vehicle forward. your
vehicle has an automatic tr ansmission , you can
so depress and hold the brake peda l for added
b raking and then Jet up on the brake pedal when
you feel that the to move forward .
Drive ahead slowly.
hicle contro l and serious per sonal injury.
dles and increases the distance it needs to stop safely .
Always adapt your sp ee d and driving to th e heavier loa d and the weight distribution in the vehicle. Tak e road , weather , traffic, and visibility conditions into account as well .
Always avoid sudde n maneuv ers and ha rd braking.
atin g.
som e areas
s p ee d for vehicles towing trailers are
lower than for vehicles without trailers. T ra n spo rting

Maximum
first read and note the introductory information and heed the on
with brake
engines (748 kg.) (748 kg. )
Tongue weight
(91 kg)
The Gross
These ratings are
is the weight of the mount and th e tongue weight of the are added to the
weight ratings given above are of
for every ft m) . o r porti on of additiona l
altitude .
156 Before driving
Exceeding the gross
ous
Exceeding the gross weight ratings can cause
extensive

N
12 Volt sockets
Introduction
sockets in the . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
devices can be connecte d to the 12 socke ts .
Th e co nn ected devices
must be in good worki ng
order .
More information:
Parts . accessories. repairs a nd modifications 283
Consume r informa tion
use of
unattended in the and connected devices can be
used when the ignition is switched on.
switch it off and disconnect the power
12
Fig . Front center 12
or battery charger to a
12 socket.
ed for electromagnetic with a
ations, switch off nected to the 12 socket before switching the ignition on or off or starting the engine.
socket that draw more than the maximum wattage the socket can Drawing too much power
can damage the
turn off the engine when you stop for any of time.
m The battery drain if you use equipmen t when the engine is not run-
ning.
m reception or the system.
m Operating shiel d-integrat ed ant enna may interfere with
A M r adio recept ion. Fig . the luggag e compartment: 12 socket.
and equipment