VOLKSWAGEN GOLF MK6 2012 Owners Manual

Maximum permissible
The tong ue load or tongue weight is the load pressing down on the
trailer hitch 156 .
T he maximum permissible trailer weight and
tongue weight for your vehic le are listed on
the vehicle -specific ures are listed in the official vehic le documents .
Spec ifications in officia l vehicle documents always
take precedence.
To help ensure optimum handling and driving ty, Volkswagen recommends always using the
maximum permissible tongue weight. the
tongue weight is too low, the vehicle and trailer will
not handle as well.
T ongue weight increases the load on the rear axle
and , in turn , reduces the remain
ing load your
trailer and must never be retrofitted to tow a
Class trai ler. Always make sure that your vehicle
has been designed to tow the trailer you want to
use and that it is legal to tow the trailer where you
will be driving .
Loading the
The weight distribution in th e vehicle and traile r
must be balanced. Use the maximum permissible
tongue weight and make sure that the load in the
trailer is evenly distributed and th at it
is not heavy or tail-h eavy:
Driving with a trailer
on page 149.
152 Before driving
Distribute the load in the trailer so that heavy
objects are directly above the axle or as close as
possible to the axle.
258.
able, undamaged straps that can be tightened so that the load cannot shift. Headlight settings
Towing a trai le r can ra ise the front end of the

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

mount support .
tory Information and heed the on page 149.
Your vehicle
is not equipped with a trai ler hitch or p reparations for the in stalla tion of a trailer hitch. tf
you must tow a trailer , you must have the
ry electrical wiring and socket together with a Because towing a traile r
pl aces a great dea l of stress on the vehicle, the
sions of the receive r and
ometry and size . T his app lies to both the height of th e above the surface where it attaches
m ount
and m ake sure that th ey meet th e
The drop height ® from the center of the
The distance @from the center of
the
T he
Never izing " trailer hitch on your vehicle . T he vehicle is
not designed for this kind of trailer hitch .
An improperly or unsuitable trailer hitch can cau se the trailer to s eparate from the towing vehicle and result in a major acci-dent with serious personal injuries.
carrier when you are not towing a trailer.
cle was not designed to tow heavier trailers with a receiver larger than the specified ball.
The increased loads can damage the
ment points for the trailer hitch.
Never use an adapter to the size of the trailer hitch receiver from 1 1
/4 inches (32 mm) to 2
weight that your vehicle can tow.
You can use an adapter if require d for the proper ins ta llation of a bicycle rack or o th er similar carrier as long as the maximum weight limits are observed . When using bicyc le rack s or simil a r carri ers, mak e sure th at the rear lights are not blo cked .
use trail er hitches that are approved by the hitch manufacturer for your vehicle and
model.

Retrofitting a
Fig. 92 Dimensions and attachme nt poin ts for ret­
r ofitti ng a trai le r hitc h.
tory information and heed the WARN ­on page 149.
Vo lkswage n recommends havi
ng the trailer hitch
r et rofit performed by a qua lified workshop because
coo ling syste m modifications
or the installation of heat shields may be necessary. Volkswagen rec- ommends
that you see an authorized Volkswagen
dealer or an auth orized Volkswagen Serv
ice Facili ­
ty before having a traile r hitch
92 ® be less than the spec ified minimum .
Thi s minimum height must be present even when
the is loaded and subjec t to the maxi­
mum tongue weight.
Di stan ce
dimensions =>fig. 92 :
Attachment points.
32.5 inches ( 825 mm)
© 20.5 inches ( 521 mm )
@ 12.4 inches (315 mm )
at leas t 2.6 inches (65 mm)
®
13 .8 - 16.5 inches (350 -mm)
@ 40.9 inches ( 1,0 38 mm)
or incorrect connections to the ve-hicle electr ica l system can cause malfunc-tions that affect the entire vehicle electrical system and cause accidents and serious per-sonal injury.
An improperly
and result in a major acci-dent with se rio us personal injuries.
T ransporti ng
155

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

this sect io n find inf ormati on about:
Eyeg lass storage compa rtment in the
o ve rhe ad cons ole . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
compart ment in the front center
a rmr est .... .. .
G love compartment
compartment in the rea r ce nte r
con sole ..... .
storage compartment s ...... . 1
58
158
159
jack, o r multimedia jack
rest.
More information:
Int erior care and clean ing
Radio or te m
Loose objects can be thrown around the
al injuries and even make the driver lose
Never put hard, heavy or sharp objects in these places or in articles of clothing or bags in the passenger compartment.
Always keep storage compartments closed while driving.
dow.
dow and the lugg age compartme nt cove r
must not be blo ck ed so that stale air can escape
from the vehicle.
Storage and equipment 157

compart­
ment.
first read and note the introduc­
on page 157.
Thi s storag e compartment
can be used for stor ing
eyeg lasses or other objec ts.
To open, the button on
the storage compa rtment cover 93 (arrow) .
To close, push the up it latches . the front center console : com­
partment.
F ig. 95
com­
partment.
first read and note the introduc­
on page 157.
To open , press on the storage compartment
cove r 94 (a rrow).
To close , press the storage compartment cover
down
Th ere may be a 12 compartme nt
tory information and heed the WARN ­on page 157.
To open , go in th e direct ion of th e arrow 95 .
T o
c lose , put the cen ter arm res t down.
The
center armrest can restrict the driver's arm movement and cause crashes a nd seri­ous persona l injury.
keep storage compartmen ts in the
center armrest driving.

Never l et a passenger, espec ially a child, ride
o n the center armrest.
jack, a multimedia jack
t he passenger side: Glove ment.
on page 157.
Key to
97:
Manual slot with
Airvent
and closing the glove compartment
necessary , unl ock th e glove compartme nt. is
l ocked when th e key slot is ve rtical.
To open , 96.
To close , push th e lid up .
Manual slot
The slot at the top of the glove compartmen t is signed to hold th e Manual.
Th e
Man ua l i s in this glove compartment
s lo t g7
Man ual in this slot.
Cooling the glove compartment
There is an air in the back of the glove
compartment. Coot air can be directed into the
g love compartment if the air conditio ner is on.
let Radio , Navigation system. or let Mobile Phone Package .
Fig. 97
crea s e the risk of serious during
Always keep the glove compartment closed while the vehicle is moving.
some vehicle models, design considerations
have made it necessary to have openings in the glove compartment behind the owne r's manua l
s lot, for e xample.
a ge the vehicle. Never put any small objec ts in the glove compartment for this re a son.

Storage compartment in the rear center console
Fig. 98
the luggage compartment:
on page 157 .
Storag e compartments in the luggag e compartment
Add itiona l storage compartments are located in the
sides of the luggage compartment. The side
els can be re m ove d by pushing upward in the rec tion of the arrow 99 to make room for er objects in the luggage compartment.
Before driving
on p ag e 157 .
T her e is a storage compartment for stowing
objects 98 in the back of the center conso le. Additional storage:
Pockets in the back rests of the fron t seats .
ment 14 1.
C lothes or other items on the shelf behind the rea r sea t backres t m ay limit visibility, a nd
ca use acci dents a nd seve re person al injuries.
Alw ays ha ng c loth es so th at th ey do not lim it v isibility.

this section find information about:
Cup holde rs
in the fro nt center console . . . . . 161
Cup holde rs in the rear center armrest . . . . . . 162
Beverage bottle holders
There is a place for bottles in the open
care and cleaning 251
use of bever age holders can cause injuries.
Make certain that bottles or other items cannot
Hot or freezing te mperatures in the
The c.up holder inserts can be removed for cleanrng . the front center conso le : holders .
on page 161.
Using cup holder
Place the drink in the cup holde r Storage and equipment 161