warning VOLKSWAGEN GOLF 2012 Repair Manual

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

about:
2 99
More information:
B raking , stop pin g a nd pa rki ng 17 9
Emerge ncy clo sing and openi ng
kit
Chang ing a whee l 310
A vehicle breakdown in traffic is dangerous and creates a great risk for you, your passen­gers, and others.
Protecting
Fig. 145
as soon as it is safe to do so. Move the vehicle a safe
doors in an emergency.
Turn on the emergency flashers and set up another warning device about 25 yards (25 mete rs) b ehind the vehicle to warn proaching traffic.
in people being trapped in the vehicle in an emergency. Depending on the time of year, people trapped in the ve hicle
c an be exposed to very high or v ery tem-
per atures. on page 299 .
requi rements regarding protecting a
broken-down vehicl e. For example , turning on the
eme rge ncy
1 . P ark the vehi cle at a safe distance from traffic and on a suitab le surf ace
2. on emergency flashers by pressi ng 145 .
3 .
171 .
the eng ine and re m ove the key fr om the ignit ion switch
passengers exit and go to a safe location away fr om movi ng t raffic , such as beh ind a guard
veh ic le keys with yo u whe n leavi ng your ve hic le .
Pra ctic al tip s

up a warning triangle or other warning device in order to alert other motorists and cyclists.
9. Let the engine cool down and get expert assistance if necessary .
are on, use the turn
Traffic suddenly slows down or stops in front of you to warn those approach ing from behind .
any emergency situation.
When being towed.
Always obey traffic laws that govern the use of
emergency
the emergency are not working, a
Disregarding the safety-related checklist may
lead to accidents and serious personal ries.
accepted safety practices and use common sense.
Do it yourself
The vehicle exhaust system and the catalytic converter get very hot. They can cause fires and serious personal injury.
The vehicle battery be drained if the emergency flashers are on for a long time -
even if the ignition is switched off.

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.

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

Towing
this sectio n you 'll find informat ion about:
T owing on a comme rc ia l tow truc k . . . . . . . . . .
Tips on towing .......................... 33 1
Installing the front tow ing eye . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332
Installing th e rear towing eye . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333 Driving tips towing 333
Exterior views
295
WARNING
Never tow a vehicle without any electrical
power.
denly engage and you would not be able to steer of control the vehicle. trol of the vehicle, crash , and seriously injure yourself and others.
Towing on a
on page
To help avoid damaging th e vehicle , h ave it towed
o n ly by a professional towing company. Read and
heed the following
information:
General information
N ever let the vehic le be towed at speeds above
km).
Towing a vehicle changes the way it handles
and brakes . To help reduce the risk of an cident and serious personal injury, note the following:
ed:
-
will have to use considerably more
force to turn the steering wheel because
the power steering is not working.
stalling and removing the towing eye and the cover for the threaded hole behind the bumper.
Towing manual transmission vehicles
Release the parking brake .
the transm ission into Neutral (N).
necessary, the vehicle can also be towed with the rea r wheels off the grou nd
Towing automatic transmission vehicles
Release the parking brake.
the transm issio n into Neutral (N).
Tow the vehicle only with its fron t wheels off the
gro und

of the vehic le . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
Braking assistan ce sy ste ms . . . . . . . 185
Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283, 284
Acoustic warnings Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Warning and indicator lights . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Adapti ve Front Lighting Dynami c . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Adjusting Electr ically ad justable front seat . . . .
. . . 63 sea ting position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
a nd child restrain ts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........... ..................... 126
Afte rm arket equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
Aftermar ket installation ph one . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
R adio equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
Aftermarket installations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
Airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Adva nced Airbag s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Advanced Airbag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
C le a ning the instrument panel . . . . . . . . . 256
D ea ctivation by we ight -sensing mat . . . . . 97
Deactivation
of passenger front airbag . . . 97
Descr ipt ion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Front airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Fun ction ality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Locking ve h icle afte r inflatio n . . . . . . . . . . . 42
airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 Curt ain airbags . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . conside rations 211
Air conditioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Climatron ic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Man ual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Air recirculation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Fun ctio nality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
off.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Air vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212 Alarm button in vehicle key
. . . . . . . . . . 248
Anodized surfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
Antenna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
Anti-Lock Brake . . . . . . . . . 185
. . . . . . . . . 186 , 187
Anti-th eft alarm system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Descr iption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Anti-th e
ft wheel bolts .....•.... 311
Antifreeze agent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Armrest.................. ...... ...... 66
braking assistan ce syste ms . . . . . . . 187 Braking assistan ce sy ste ms . . . . . . . 186 on and off... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
A ss ista nce
systems Anti -Lock Brake . . . . . . . . 185 Regulation (ASR )........ 186, 187
Br ake Assi st . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Brak e Ass ist
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185 ccs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
C ru ise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197 Elect ronic Diff eren tial Lock (EDL) . . . . . . 186 Ele ct ronic Stabil it y Cont rol . . . . . . 185 H old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195 nre button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Auto-dimming inside mirror . . . . . . . . 134 Autom atic load deactivation...... . . . . . 241
Autom atic Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . 175 Automatic transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Dir ect . . . . . . 177 Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177 Driving on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177 Emergency release for the sele cto r lever
l ock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Shifting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331 Vehicle key safety in terlock . . . . . . . . . . . 166
B
Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Brak ing assistance systems . . . . . . . 185
Battery Rep laceme nt in rem ote cont rol vehicle key 39
Before taking the vehicle in to the shop . . 297
Belt pretensioners
D isposal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Belt warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Bottle holder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Brake
Brake booster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Brake nuid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Brake nuid level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Brak e pads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Braking assistance systems . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Bre aking
in the brake pads . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Chang ing brake nuid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 2
Warning l igh t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Brake Assist (BAS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Brake booster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184 , 185
Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Spec ificati ons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Brake
system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Malfunction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Braking assistance systems . . . . . . . . . . . 18 5
Break-in period
E ngine .
.......................... 283
The fir st few miles (k ilometers ) . . . . . . . . 283 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
Breakdown the vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299
Breaking in
B rake pads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . 183
Breaking in the brake pads
Care
. . . . . . . 136
Catalytic
converter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296
I ndicator light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . 157
. . . . 288
Center
armrest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Center
console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12, 13
Changing a
light bulb Indicator light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321
Changing a wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . 313
Wheel bolls 311 Wheel change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315
Chang i
ng bulbs changing light bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Changing light bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . fr on t bumper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323 . . . . . . . . . . . 325 th e headlight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322 the rear hatch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324 License plate ligh t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324, 325
Characteristics Rad io reception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
Checking
leve l . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Gelling ready . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 an eme rgen cy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299
Lifting veh icle with jack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313
Light bulb replacement . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . 321 for changing a wheel 311 Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
U phol stery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
Checks
while refueling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Child res
traint and fron t airbag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Child safety lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

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

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