ale VOLKSWAGEN GOLF MK6 2012 Owner's Guide

Warning and indica tor lights
on page 171.
L
ights Possible cause up
transmission too hot.
Brake pedal not depressed.
Flash es Possible
cause
The release button in the selector lever did not engage.
blinks, alternating with the selector lever
indicator , for example D.
When the ignition is switched on, several warning
and indicator lights come on briefly for a funct ion
check . They go out after a few seconds .
Failure to heed warning text messages can cause the vehicle to break down in traffic and result in a injury.
or t ext WARN­
172 While driving Proper
response
Do not continue driving
the warni ng does not turn off, do not continue
driving.
175.
Drive at low en gine speed (rpm) to th e nearest
autho rized Vol kswagen dealer or authorized
Volkswagen F acility to have th e system
checked .
Always stop the vehicle as soon as it is safe to do so.
damage.

Braking, stopping, and parking
this sectio n
Parking brake . . . . . . . . . . . 182
P arking . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
About the brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Braking assistance systems
Switching
L ock Brake System (ABS) . Br ak e Assist System
(BAS ), Ele ctronic Differential Lock (EDL), R eg ulatio n (ASR) and Electronic C ontrol
(ESC).
More information:
Trai ler towi ng 149
Starting assistance systems 1 95
Tires and whee ls 258
Driving with bad brakes or worn brake pads can cause a and serious personal
injury.
lights up in the instrument cluster display, whether alone or together with a text message, immediately contact an authorized Volkswagen dealer or authorized Facility to have the brake pads checked and, if necessa­
ry, replaced .
Parking improperly can cause serious sonal injury.
lock and you
haust system or catalytic converter could
fu el, etc.
riously injure you and your passengers.
sonal injury.
mote control vehicle key, trapping passen­gers in the vehicle in an emergency. For ample, depending on the time of year, people trapp ed in the vehicle can be exposed to very high or very low temperatures.
children.
Starting, shifting, parking 179

you are
prevent dam age, stop before the tires of yo u r
v ehicle touc h a parking bar rier or curb.
on page 179.
Lights
Possible cause or me aning Prope r re s ponse up
<®> Parking brake engaged.
Brake fluid too Check brake
or ABS: ized Volkswagen failure.
The brakes wor k withou t
BRAKE
Facili-ty. Check, and if necessary replace. brake pads.
switc hed off by the system.
malf unction . an aut horized Volkswage n deale r or an au-
thorized Volkswagen Facility .
Together with or ABS : Facility. malfunction.
The vehic le brakes
Driv e a s hort distance at a speed of 1 -
12 mph (15-km/ h). th e indicator light battery has been reconnect ed. stays see
an authorized Volkswagen dealer or an authorized Volkswagen 238.

Brake system malfunction
you brake and find that vehicle doesn't brake
nearly as
come on
and a m essage may appear in the instrument ter display. you believe the vehic le is safe to
d rive, immediately take it to the nearest authorized
Volkswagen dealer or authorized Volkswagen
Service
f or repair. Drive slowly and very
carefully , for the longer stopping distance ,
and be ready to push longer and harder on the
brake pedal to slow the vehicle down.
Brake booster
The brake booster works only when the engine is
running . in creases the force on the brakes above
and beyond the pressure put on the brake pedal by
the driver .
New brake pad s do not provide maximum braking performance.
miles You can
compensate for the reduc ed braking force by putting more pressure on the brake
pedal.
other vehicles too closel y or put yourself into other situations that might require sudden, hard braking , especially
when the brake pads have not b ee n broken
in.
Overh eated brakes reduce the vehicle's stopping power and increa se stopping dis­tances considerably.
that are long or s teep, always reduce speed
and shift into lower gear (manual or automat-
184 While driving
ic transmission). This let the vehicle use
engine braking and reduce the load on the brakes. Otherwise, the brake system could overheat and possibly fail.
A damaged front spoiler or a non-standard spoiler can redu ce airflow to th e brakes and make them overheat.
Wet brakes or brakes coated with ice or road
salt react slower and need longer stopping distances.
apply the brakes to tes t them .
Driving when the brake booster is not work­ing increases stopping distances and can
cause accidents and serious per sonal inju­
rie s.
Nev er let the vehicle coas t when the
the bra ke booster is not working (suc h
a s wh en th e vehic le is being towed) , a lot more pedal force is needed to slow down and stop.
Neve r the brake s by keeping your foot on the brak e pedal when you do not want to brak e. Constant pres sure on the brake ped al
ca n make the brak es overheat. Riding the bra kes substantially r educe brakin g per­formance, increase stopping distance, and can
cause complete brake system failure .
that are long or s teep, always reduce speed and shift into lower gear (manua l or automatic tran smission). This gine brakin g and reduce the load on t he brakes. Otherwise, the brake system cou ld
o ve rheat and possibly fail. use the brakes when you n eed them to slow the vehicle down more or to stop.

Switching
Fig. 114
on page 179.
Brake fluid
Fig. 11 5
on pag e 179.
Brake fluid
absorbs water from the air over time.
To o much water in the brake fluid will damage the brake system. Water also lowers th e boiling point of the brake fluid. Too much water in the brake flu id can cause vapor lock during heavy brake use or hard braking. Vapor lock reduces braking
ty of others depends on brakes that are worki ng
properly at all times
The Electronic
EDL and
can be switched off by pressi ng @ 114
wh ile the engine is running. off
When driving in deep s now o r on loose
When the vehicle back and forth when you are stuck.
on again by pressing @ 114. Brake specifications
Volkswagen has developed a special brake fluid
that is optimized for the brake system in your Volkswagen. Volkswagen recommends that you
use brake fluid that conforms to qua lity standa rd VW Standard
F ederal Motor Vehicle 116 4 o r
14 also complie s wi th 116 4 and 4925 4
requ irements . However. brake fluid that generally complies with s ta ndard 116 4 o r 4925 essarily comply with the special requirements of VW s ta ndard
cle.
Appropriate bra ke fluid
can be purchased from
you r authorized Volkswagen dealer or authorized
Volkswagen
The f lu id level in the transparent brake fluid voir must always be between the and MAX marking

you cannot
clearly see th e brake fluid level in the brake fluid
r eservoir , p lea se see an authorized Volkswagen
dealer or authorized Volkswagen Service Facility.
Th e brake
Br ake fluid must be changed according to the serv­
ice schedule in your =>booklet Warranty and Main­
tenance . Have the brake fluid ch ecked by an au­
t h orized Volkswagen dealer or an aut horized
Volk swage n Service tha t m ee ts the standa rds
Brake failure and reduced brake pe rformance
can be caused by not having enough brake
f luid in the reservoir or by old or incorrect brake fluid.
Always change the brake fluid according to the service sch edule in book-let Warranty and Mainten ance.
Hard braking with old brake fluid may cause vapor lock. Vapor lock reduces braking performance , increases stopping distances
and can even cau se total brak e failure.
Always make sure that only the correct brake fluid is used. standard 14 or standa rd 116
standard s tand ard 116 4, do not use it.
The brake fluid must be new .
Brake fluid is poisonous.
To reduce the risk of poisoning, never use food, beverage or other non-original contain-ers to store brake fluid.
store brake fluid in its clo sed , origi-nat container and keep it out of the reach of children.
Brake fluid will damage vehicle paint. Wipe any brake fluid off vehicle paint immediately.
Brake the envir onment. Brake fluid tha t has leaked out must be col­
lec ted and disposed of properly , cable e nvir onmen tal reg ulatio ns.

Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
Introduction
this section you'll find information about :
Indic ato r light (telltale) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
and
r e ca librat ion with the
you are drivin g. Th e se nso rs m on itor the tre ad cir cumference (rolling circumfe re nce ) and
vibrati on characteristics of the indiv idu al tires . warn s if there is a significant loss of sure in o n e or m ore tires while the vehi cle is
i n gs and tex t warn in gs in the in strum ent cluste r
disp la y if yo ur veh icle ha s this disp lay (M ulti-Func ­
t io n D isplay
that come with your vehicle . Th is
1 38 . By pres sing the
hicl e
Prope r use of the
More information:
Volk sw age n Information 24
Tr anspo rting
Braking, s top ping and park in g 1 79
E xterior care and clean in g
Tires and wheels
P arts. accessor ies, repa irs and mo difica tions 2 83
Incorrect tire pressures and/or underinflation can cause sudden tire failure , loss of control , collision, serious personal or even death.
Incorrect tire pressure and/or underlnfla­tion can cause increased tire wear and can affect the handling of the vehicle and stop­ping ability .
The driver is responsible for the correct tire pressures for all tires on the vehicle. The
recomm ended tire pressure values are listed on a sticker the driver door 138.
The
Using incorrect tire pressure values can cause accidents or other damage . Always
Always maintain correct cold tire Inflation pressure so that can do its job.
Driving with underinfl ated tires causes them to flex (bend) more, letting them get too hot, resulting in tread separation , sudden tire failure , and loss of control.
Excessive speed and/overloadlng can
cause heat build-up, s udden tire
the tire pressure is too low or too high,
the tires will wear prematurely and the vehi­
c le will not handle well.
and you do not have to cha nge a wheel immediately , drive careful­
station to check the tire pressure and add air as required.
always read and heed the Information and all 258, Tires and whe els.
The Tire Pressure Monitoring
the reinstalled or replacement wheels and

the fuel and take the fuel cap back
on the
Afte r switc hing on the ignition , the light
may stay on or the text message may
however, the malfunction indi cato r light also
comes on, drive to your nearest authorized Volks­
wagen deale r or a uthorized
Vol kswage n Facility and have the fuel system and the engine
checked .
Driving with a fu el tank that is almost empty can lead to and serious personal injuries.
Refueling
Fig . 125 Fuel cap placed on the open fuel
tory information and hee d the WARN­on page 214.
Before refue ling , always switch off the engine, the
i gniti on , and phones , and leave them
switc hed off unt il refu eling is complete .
when driving over bumps, across slopes, and up and down
and relat ed systems no t work if the engine or due to lack o f f uel.
to reduce the risk of running out of fuel and stalling in traffic.
ca n re sult vehicle damage .
fuel supply can cause the
engi ne to misfire . This
The arrow next to the gas pump symbo l in the fuel gauge 124 shows the of the vehicle with the fuel filler Opening the fuel cap
Unlo ck the vehicle from the outside with the ve­
h ic le key or pres s the central loc king button in driv­
er
to unlock the vehicle from the inside 41.
The fuel
Pre ss on the back part of the fuel and
fold open .
Unscrew the fuel cap counterclockwise
and remove . Plac e the cap on the top of the fue l 125 .
The correc t fuel grade for you r vehicle is listed on
a sticker on the insid e of the fuel 125.
The fuel tank is full when the automatic filler nozzle pump switch es off the first time
Do not try to add fuel after the pump stops!
T opping off the tank in this way may the expan­
sion space that the tank needs and cause fuel to
for exam ple, if it gets warmer out side .

Care,
this sect ion
know how to carry out the
have the correc t technical information and the
proper too ls and supplies, and
are fami liar with the necessary safety precau­
t ions
you are uncertain in any
Fa cility. from improperly per­
formed work.
More
Exterior views
Windshie ld wipe r and was he r 129
S tart ing and stoppi ng t he engi ne
Brake fluid 179
Vehicle battery
E ngine oil 227
Engin e coolant 233
Parts, accesso ries, repairs and modifications 283
Unintend ed vehicle movement during mainte­nanc e work can ca use serious personal inju­ries.
Care , cleaning, maintenance
Never work under the vehicle unless you have safely secured the vehicle from moving. you mus t work under the vehicle with the
wheels on the g round , alway s make sure that the vehicle is on level ground, that
Th e engine compartment of any motor vehi­cle is a potent ially dangerous area and can cause serious personal injury.
Always use extreme caution when doing any work
Never p erform any work in the engine compartment unless you know exactly how to carry out the job and have the correct tec h­nical information and the correct tools .
you are uncertain about what to do, have the work performed by an authorized
Volk swagen dealer, an authorized Volksw a­
ge n Service Facility, or another qualified workshop. Serio us persona l injury may result from improperly performed work.

Engine oil
find information about:
Wa rning a
nd indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Engin e oil specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Engin e oil capac ity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Checking th e engine oil level and adding oil . 229
Eng ine oil consumpt ion . . . . . . 23 0
Changing engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
231
More information:
P reparations for work ing in the engine compart­
m en t 222
Parts, accessories, repairs and modi fications 283
handling of engine oil can cause vere burns and other serious injuries.
Store engine oil only in the closed original container. This also applies to used oil until disposal.
tainers that might mislead someone into drinking from them.
other operating fluids, engine oil can leaking and
sp illed operating fluids and dispose of them erly in accordance with
Please first read and note the introductory information and heed the on page 227.
Lights Possible cause Proper response up
Engine oil
leve l too low. the engine. Check the engine oil level
-
off the engine. Check the engin e lev-
el. -the warn ing light flashes although the oil lev-Engin e oil p ressure to o low . el is norm al, do not co ntinue driving or let the
engi ne idle. the engine could be damaged.
Contact an auth orize d Volkswagen dealer or an
authorized Volkswagen Facility.
Have the engine oil sensor checked by an au-
Engine oil leve l se nsor malfun ction. thorized Volksw agen dealer or an authorized --Volkswage n Faci lity.
the engine compartment 227