check engine VOLKSWAGEN GOLF 2012 Owner's Guide

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 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Overhead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Owner's . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Passenger side . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
. . . . . . . . . . . . 127 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
56 ............................ 56
Opening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 visors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
T
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Adaptive Front Lighting . . . . . . . . 126
A nti-Lock Brake . . . . . . . . 185 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186 , 187 ............................. 185
Brake Assist ....................... 185
Brake Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185 ccs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Cruise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
EDL ............................. 186
Electronic L ock (EDL) . . . . . 186
Electronic
............................. 185 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Launch
. . . . . . . and button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . 18 data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Engine data and dimens ions . . . . . . . . . . 35
Engin e capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Engine specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228 . . . . . . 132 capacities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Gross
.. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 148 . . . . . . . . . pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
Tongue weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149 identifica tion . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Weights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291 Workshop .. . . . . . . 289
Temp e
rature Outside temperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Temp erature gauge Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Tightening torque bolts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312
TIN................................. 272
Tiptronic . . . . . . . . . 176
damage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267 Tire pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
Checking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264 Compact spare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Tire
Monitoring Tire pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Tir e Pr
essure Monitoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Tire Pressure Monitoring button Recalibra ting tire pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . Tire s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
Tires and . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
Avoiding damage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
Determine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268 . . . . . . . . . . . . 268 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271 Load rating code of the tires . . . . . . . . . 273
N ew tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
Objects embedded . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
Rotating tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261 number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272 chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
rating code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273 the . . . . . . . . . . . 269
T echnical data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271 Tire and . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tir e damage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267

Charg ing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 1 Checking acid level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241 D ischarges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Disconnect ing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241 Drain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41, 166
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239 Vehicl e ca re
A irbag module (instr umen t panel) . . . . . . 256 Alcan tara . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252 A luminum parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 8 anod ize d surfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248 Caring for upho lstery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252 Car wash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 4 Ch rome parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248 Cleaning storage compartments . . . . . . . 255 Cleaning the safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256 Clean ing wheel rims . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248 Cleaning wiper blades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247 Deicing door lock cyli nders . . . . . . . . . . . 249 Door and window seals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249 Engine compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249 E xterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243 Fab ric trim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252 H eated seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252 panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251 Leat her . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254 Leathere tte . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255 Manual seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253 N on -hea ted seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
. .
with airbag components . . . . . . . . . 252 Seats without airbag components . . . . . . 253 Service position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132 Specia l co ns iderations . . . . . . . . . . . 244 , 245 Undercoa ting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249 Uph olstery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252 Vehic le paint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248 Washing by han d . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244 Washing the vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244 Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245 Windshield-in tegrated antenna . . . . . . . . 292 Wood trim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256 Vehicle identification label . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Vehicle Identification number . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Vehicl e keys
Ass ignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Battery replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
348 Index Indicator
ligh t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . 38 Mechanical key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Pan ic butto n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Synchronizing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Vehicle key set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Vehicle label s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
V eh icle m odifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283 Signs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 1 Sticker s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
Vehicl e overview Front view . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Rear view
Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Vehicle washing Specia l conside rat ions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
Volk swag en Information Sy ste m . . . . . . . . . 24 Disp lays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Menu structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
w
Warning light Alte rnator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239 Applying the brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
S hiftin g . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172 Steer ing column lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192 Vehicle batt ery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239 Washing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243 By hand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244 Washing wit h a power washer . . . . . .
. . . 45 W axing the p aint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
Wear indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
Weight-sensing m at
Deactivation of passenger front airbag . . . 97
Weights.............................
What happens to p assengers not wearing a safety belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
What if? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297 Wheel bolts 311 Cove r caps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tightening torque . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312

Delivery inspection
and Maintenance information
Delivery
for your Volkswagen
tant can answer any questions you may have .
you are not sure when to bring your car in for
service, ask your authorized Volkswagen
consultant.
Before your
vehicle is delivered to you , it is inspected according to fac tory guidelines.
Th e Delivery
cable)
Coo lan t lev el and f rost pro tectio n: Check
Engine a nd engine compartment components :
Che ck (from above) for leak s and damage
Engine and engine compartment components :
Ch eck (from below) for leaks and damage, check
transm ission, final drive , and drive shaft boots
26 USA Warranty and Maintenance
T oday's date and Volkswagen Dealer stamp
partment lighting, turn signals, and hazard warning
lights: Check
Visual inspection of windshie ld. Note dam age if
necessary

Service at
in-service date, whichever occurs first.
Ad Check and add if necessary (Passat engine
Brake pads: Check thickne ss and brake disc
conditio n (front and rear)
Engine: Change
Rear window : Check cleaning function­(if
Tires: Rotate front to rear
Windshield washer, cleaning system,
and wiper Check for damage and function,
Check
s tamp
Maintenance

Service at
or one year after service, whichever occurs first.
engine
Brake pads: Check thickness and brake disc condi tion (front and rea r)
Engine : Change and replace
Rear window: Check cleaning nozzle (if
Next Service:
Date :
.............. ......... .
Service sticker: Enter the date of the next ice on the service sticker and apply to the driver's
side door
Tires: Rotate front to rear
Windshield washer, headlight cleaning system,
and wiper blades: Check for damage and function ,
Check

at
AdBiue® Fluid: Check and add if necessary
(Pas sat TDI engine only)
Air e lement and sn ow scree n: Replace el­
e m ent an d scre en and housing (if
Body : Visual in spectio n for corrosion
B rakes : Inspect brake system and shock ab­
sorber for leaks and damage, check thickness of brake pads , b rake disc conditio n front and rear and
c h eck brake fluid leve l subject to abrasion (front and rear)
Coolan t level and frost protection: Check
CV joints: Check for leaks and damage
Diesel Particulate Filte r: Perform after the first or (DPF) replacem ent: Check ash
loading according to manufa ctur er wo rk procedure;
Repl ace
if necessary. DPF replace ment
is not necessary, perform ch eck every
miles thereafte r until rep lacement beco mes neces­
sary.
Door checks and mounting pins: Lubricate
Dust and
Engine : C hange oil and replace oil
Engine and engine compartm ent components:
Check (from above) f or leaks and damage
Engin e a nd eng ine compa rtment co mponents:
C heck (from below) fo r leaks and damage, check
tran smi ssio n, final drive , and drive sha ft bo ots
Exha ust syste m: C heck for leaks, damage, and
secure fittings
Fuel filter: Replace
Interior lighting and glove box lights, cigarette
lighter/power horn, and
Lighting: F ront and rea r lights, luggage com­
partmen t
Ribbed Belt: Ch eck condit io n
Service interval display: Reset
Service sticker: Enter the date of the next serv­
ice on the service sticker and apply to the driver's
side door pillar
Spark plugs : Replace (All engines except
S unroof and Panoramic sunroof : Check, clean,
and lubrica te (if
s unroof and check front and
r ear wate r drains a nd clea n if necessary (if cable)
ne rod ends : Check for excessive play and
l oose ness, check boots
Check and replace if necessary miles, check
every mil es after. If not repl aced at mil es, chec k every
Check tread depth, condition , tire age ,
wear pattern and pressu re o f tires (including spare)
Rotate front to rea r
(non Automa tic) : Change
fluid and
Underbody : Inspect unde r sea l, u nderbody
t rims, pipe placing, and plug for damage
Winds hield washer, headligh t clea ning system,
and wipe r blades : C heck fo r da mage and function,
Check fluid level and add
if necessary

Next Servi ce:
Date : ...........
.......... ...
S ervice at or one year after service, whichever occurs first.
Ad C heck and add if necessary
(Pass a t e ngine
Brake pads: Check thickness and brake disc
conditio n (front and rea r)
Engine : Change
Rear window : Check functi on­(if
Next S ervi ce:
Date : ........................
.......... .........
whic hever occurs first Today's
date and
stamp
Service Rese t
Service sti cke r: En te r th e date o f the next serv­
ice on the serv ice sticke r and to the driver's
s ide door
engine
nres: Ro tate front to rear
system,
a nd wipe r Check for damage and function,
Check a nd add if n ecessary
Today's date and
stamp
M a
inten anc e