start VOLKSWAGEN GOLF 2012 Repair Manual

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

at the
143 and 144. Not using the
off the
Always make sure that the vehicle's as flat as possible and centered on the carrier plates of the floor jack.
Never start the engine when you have
raised the vehicle on the floor jack. The gine vibrations and vehicle movements knock the vehicle off the floor jack.
cle
Care , cleaning , m aint enance
To
add ition make sure the lifting arms have enough
The lifting arms should not touch side or other parts of the vehicle .

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

Emergency
on page
the power supply fails (due to a dead vehicle bat­
tery , for example) and the vehicle has to be pushed or towed , the emergency release must be used to move the selecto r lever to N eutral (N).
Th e emerge n
cy release is located under the selec­
tor gate cover on the right side when viewed in the
driving direction .
Preparations
Set the parking brake. the parking brake can­
no t be set firmly , you must find another way to pre­
vent the vehic le from moving .
Switch off the ignit ion.
Removing the selector gate cover
Pull upward on the cover aroun d the selec tor
lever sleeve fig. 152 .
Slip the cover up and over the selector lever
Push the release lever 153 in the direc ­
t ion of the arrow and hold it in this position .
Press the release button fig. 152 the
selector lever handle and shift the selector lever to Neu tral (N) .
WARNING
Never shift the tran smi ssion out of Park (P) without first firmly applying the parking
brake . the vehicle can start to roll unexp ectedly, especially on hills or inclines,
a nd cause an accident and serious injuries.
Ev en
with the selector lever is in N (Neutra l), the automatic transmission will b e damaged if the vehicle is towed (or you let it coast) for an extended period or at high speed with the en-
gine shut off.

Changing a wheel
Introduction
this sect ion you 'll find informati on about:
for changi ng a wheel . . . . . . . . . 311
Wheel bolts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311
Lifting the vehi cle with the vehicle jack . . . . . . 313
Changing a whee l ....................... 315
After ch anging a wheel
................... 315
Change a wheel by yourse lf only if the vehicle is
park ed in a safe loca tion , you are fam
ilia r with
safe ty procedures and the technical steps, and you
ha ve proper too ls ava ilable . Otherwise , get expert
ass istan
ce.
More information:
Exterior views 6
Vehicle key set
Tires and whee ls 258
an em ergency
Vehicle tool kit
W heel covers
Changing a wheel ,
proaching traffic.
you are towing a trailer, always unhitch it from your vehicle before starting to change the wheel. Always apply the trailer brakes firmly and make sure the trailer cannot move unintentionally.
ing the transmission in Par k (P) or in gear
proved for use on other Volkswagen models.
es , and serious personal injuries, never en the screws on rims with threaded rim rings.
rate torque wrench.

Jump-starting
this sect ion find inform atio n about:
U sing jum per cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328
your eng ine does not start because the
the battery acid
l evel indicator window on the vehicle battery before
jump -starting
with gasoline engines , the cross -sec tion of the jumper
cable wire must be at least
assistance systems 195
Prepara tions for worki ng i n the engine compa rt­
ment 222
Vehicle battery
Working on the batterie s or the electrical sys­te m in your vehicle can cause serious acid burns, fires , or electrical shock.
Never lean over a vehicl e battery. Always
w ea r protective gloves and eye protection. To
r educe your risk o f injury, never tilt the bat­
t e rie s; acid could spill out through the vents and burn you.
A highly explosive mixture of gases is giv­e n off when the battery being charged.
you an y battery acid,
g et medical attention immediately .
work on the batterie s or the e lectrica l system in your vehicle can cause serious acid burns, fires, or electrical shocks. Always
read and heed the
Never jump-start a vehicle with a t hawed or frozen vehicle battery. The battery can ex­plode. A d ead battery can freeze at tempera­
tures around +32
A batt ery that is frozen or was frozen , but has since thawed, must be replaced.
Wh en the vehicle battery is jump-s ta rted ,
i t give s off hydrogen gas, which is highly ex­
plosive! Always keep fire, s park s, open flame,
an d smoking mater ials far aw ay from vehicle batteries. Neve r use a telephon e while connecting or disconnecting jumper ca­
bl es.
Practica l tips

{continued)
the non-insulated parts of the
battery clamps to touch.
the jumper cable attached to the positive battery terminal to contact metal parts of the vehicle.
Using jumper cables
Fig . 17 8 Diagram for attaching the jumper cables:
Dead battery and booste r
on page 327.
The dead battery must be properly connected to
the vehicle's electr ical system .
Make ce
rtain tha t the vehicles are not touchi ng
each other. Otherwise , electric curr ent could flow
as soo n as the positive terminal
s(+) are connec t­
ed. Use longer jumper cables if necessary .
Th e clamps on the jumper cables must have good
con tac t to bare metal on
the battery termina ls.
the engine does not start, stop the process after seconds and repeat after about1 minute.
cle electrical system, read and heed the
Connecting jumper cable s improperly can
ca use a short circuit and do ex pen sive dama ge to the vehicle's electrical system .
Switch off the ignition in both vehicles 165.
necessary , open the battery cover in the
At tach one end of the red jumper cable to t he
po sitive terminal 178 of the dead tery : Battery
Attach the othe r end of the red ju mper cable to the positive terminal of the good battery
(booster battery):
Atta ch one end of the black jump er of the booste r battery: 178 .
Attach the other end of the black jumper to a bare meta l part of the vehicle with the dead battery. This part shou ld be connected
dire ctly to the eng ine blo ck.
Route the jumper cables so that they cannot
ge t ca ught in any moving parts in the engine com-
partment of e ith er vehic le.

the engine
the engine of the vehicle with the good
battery that is providing help and let it run at idle
speed .
Turn on the ignition of the vehicle with the dead
b attery. the engine starts, wait 2 to 3 minutes
the engine does
not start within about seconds , turn off the tion and wait at least 1 minute ; then try again .
Removing the jumper cables
Before you remove the jumper cables. swi tch
off the headlights (if they are on) .
the vehic le with the dead batte ry , switc h on
t he heater fa n and the rea r window defroster. This
he lps
to m in im ize voltage spikes when the cables
a re disconnected.
With the engine running , remove the jumper
nected .
Disconnect the black (- ) cab le f rom the vehicle
wit h the dead battery .
Disconnec t the black (-) cable from the other
vehicle (vehicle with the good battery) .
Disconnect the red(+) cable from the other
Disconnect the red (+ ) cable from the vehicle
with the dead battery .
Close the battery cover.
Improper use of jumper cables when starting a vehicle with a dead battery can
cause the battery to explode , leading to
Always wear proper eye protection. Never
lean over the vehicle battery.
Attach the jumper cables in the correct
Never connect the negative cable from the
vehicle providing starting assistance to parts of the fuel system or to the brake hoses or brake lines.
Never
sistance.
Avoid electrostatic discharge in the may cause the hydrogen gas escaping from the vehicle battery to ignite.
Never jump-start a vehicle with a battery
that is damaged or frozen or that was frozen
and has thawed. The battery can explode.
Always the instructions of the jumper cable manufacturer.
Never connect the negati ve cable from the other vehicle directly to the negative terminal of the dead battery . The hydrogen gas from
the battery is explosive.
Never short out the battery terminals by connecting the positive(+) and negative
Practical tips 329

When not to tow your
there is in the tr ansmission be­
cause of damage to you r it must be moved
with the drive wheels off the ground . The vehicle
can only be towed if its ignition is switched on and
i ts electrica l system is operating. the following
situat ions, the vehicle cannot be towed at
the front and rear whee ls can not turn .
the vehic le battery is dead {because the elec­
troni c steering column lock engages and cannot be
r e leased).
you have to tow an automatic transmission
vehic le more than 30
first read and note the introduc­
on page
Towing eye; tow rope or tow bar
A towing eye is included in your vehic le 's tool kit. This can be inserted in a threaded hole in the front
bumper and used when your vehicl e is being tow­
ed by ano ther vehicle.
The tow rope should be flexib le enough to he lp
protect both vehicles from damage. Use a synthet­
ic fiber rope or similar rope .
Attach the tow rope or tow bar only
to the towing
eye in the vehic le
For the towed vehic le, note the following :
Put the transmission in Neu tral (N) .
Do not tow faster than 30 mph (50 km/h). The
drive rotates while the i
s being towe d with its rear wheels off the ground. This can damage the automatic transmission .
can
Do not tow more than 30 miles (50 km).
When a commerc ial towing truck is being used,
the must be towed with the front
wheels
transmiss ion fluid ha s out of the trans ­
mission.
the re is in the transmissio n be­
cause of damage to your vehicle, it must be moved
w ith the drive whee ls off the ground.
the front and rear whee ls cannot turn.
When the vehicle battery is dead , since the
steering may remain disabl ed, and it may not be
poss ib le to rele ase the electronic steering column
lock.
you have to tow an auto matic transmiss ion
veh icle mor e than 30 miles (50 km).
A veh icle can be towed only if the electronic steer ing column lock is r e leased. case of a
power system,
the engine may have to be jump-started in order to release the electronic steering column lock . Pract ical tip s 331

Some basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 S tarting up on . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
S toppi ng on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
T hroug h water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Towi ng ........................... 333
With a traile r . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
W it h aut oma tic transm ission . . . . . . . . . . 177
Driving abroad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Ch ecklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Driving checklists and warnings . . . . . . . . . 3 1
Driving directions Co mpact spare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
Spare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
Dri
ving . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Dri
ving safely . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Driving through
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dynamic
Brak ing assistance systems . . . . . . . 186
consumers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 1
deactivation . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 3 ,
sockets
1 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Differentia l Lock (EDL) . . . . . . . 186
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . 185
Em ergency closing and opening . . . . . . . .
P assenge r doo r . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Power sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R ea r doo rs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Em ergency closing or opening E mergency release for the selecto r . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Em erg ency flashers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299
Em erg
ency starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327
J umper cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328
Emission system . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295
I ndic ator
Engine
B rea k-in period . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283 Does not start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
N oises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Engine and ignition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
1 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Ignition switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166 Immobi lizer ......... . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . 222 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Plenum chamber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 9
P repara tions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . 225 Vehicle battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
En
gine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295
Engine syste m . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295 In dicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295
Engine coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 3
Check ing coo lan t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233 Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Temperature gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
T opping
off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236 Warning
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Engine identification code Determining . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Adding oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231 Checking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Consumption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
openi ng . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
I n dica to r . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Specif ica tions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Warning
driving . . . . . . . . 189 Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284
................................ 185
Electronic Stability . . . . . . 18 5
E xte rior views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6