air VOLKSWAGEN GOLF MK6 2012 Manual Online

vided.
The ventilation slo ts between the rear dow and the luggage compartme nt cover
must not be blocked so that stale air can escape
from the veh ic le . Folding the backrest of the rear seat forward and back into place
F ig . 83 Rear seat: release button red
Please first read and note the tory information and heed the on page 141.
The rea r seat backrest is di vide d into 2 sectio ns.
E ach sectio n of
the rear seat backrest can be to increase luggage space.
Folding the rear seat backrest forward
58.
the release button 83 forward
w hile folding the rear backrest forward.
142 Before driving
the rear seat backrest back until it es secu re ly
ed into place in order for the safety belts on the
rear seats to provide optimal protection.
Improper folding and improper latching of the rear seat backrest can cause serious

Roof rack
Introduction
this sectio n find informa tion about:
Mo unt in g the roof rack base carrier and roof
rack
................................... 147
Securing a load on the roof rack . . . . . . . . . . . 148
The ro of o f your vehicle has been designed to
approv ed base carrie r mounts and roof racks can
be used .
When should the roof rack be removed?
When it is no longer needed .
Before driving through an automatic car was h.
When the vehic le wou ld otherwise be too high
t o ach ieve min imum clearanc e to enter, for
ple, a garage .
More information:
Lights
Transporting 137
Saving fuel and helping the envi ronment
Tires and wheels 258
283
Transporting heavy or bulky loads on the roof rack will change the way the vehicle handles by shifting the vehicle's center of gravity and
increasing the wind drag area.
146 Before driving
able and undam ag ed straps so that the load
have a negative effect on the vehicle's
aerodynamics , center of gravity and ove rall
Your vehicle is higher when the roof rack is installed , especially when it is loaded. Compare
the vehicl e he ight with existing clear ance
heights , such as underpasses and garage doors.
creases due to increased air resis ta nce.

Introduction
this section
..
L oading the trailer
.............. ........ .
Driving with a trailer ..... . .. .. ........... .
mount .... . .
Retrofitting a trai l
er hitch ................ .
Max imum permissible trailer weight ... . 150
151
151
152
154
155
156
for
more concentratio n from the
dr iver . Always the ope rat ing and driving in ­
stru ctions given , and use common sense.
Un der winter conditions ,
win ter tires on the
vehicle and the trailer.
Tongue weight
The m aximum permissible tow bar tongue weight
exerted on the mount should not exceed kg).
More information:
Anti-theft a larm system
Lights page 122
Startin g assistance systems 195
Tires and wheels page 258
Parts, accessories, repairs and modifications
Riding in a trailer is dangerous and may be il­
incorrect, or damaged trailer hitch can
cause the trailer to separate from the towing vehicle and cause serious personal injuries.
use an undamaged, properly mount­
ed trail er hitch.
mount when you are not towing a trailer.
properly with suit­able and undamaged straps so that the not shift.
and under unfavorable weather, or wind conditions.
careful when passing other vehicles.
Transporting 149

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

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.

N
12 Volt sockets
Introduction
sockets in the . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
devices can be connecte d to the 12 socke ts .
Th e co nn ected devices
must be in good worki ng
order .
More information:
Parts . accessories. repairs a nd modifications 283
Consume r informa tion
use of
unattended in the and connected devices can be
used when the ignition is switched on.
switch it off and disconnect the power
12
Fig . Front center 12
or battery charger to a
12 socket.
ed for electromagnetic with a
ations, switch off nected to the 12 socket before switching the ignition on or off or starting the engine.
socket that draw more than the maximum wattage the socket can Drawing too much power
can damage the
turn off the engine when you stop for any of time.
m The battery drain if you use equipmen t when the engine is not run-
ning.
m reception or the system.
m Operating shiel d-integrat ed ant enna may interfere with
A M r adio recept ion. Fig . the luggag e compartment: 12 socket.
and equipment

on page 165.
The immobilizer helps to pre ve
nt the engine fr om
being started and driven with an unauth orized
vehicles with Keyless
Access , th e vehicle key must be outside the
driving The
engine can therefore
dependent repair facilities and locksmiths who are to make vehicle keys 36.
an unauthorized vehicle key is used , Immobil­izer active! appears in the instr ument cluste r
display . Th e
Using genuine mize the risk of malfun ctions .

Shifting
Introduction
this section find information about:
Warning
and i ndicator ... .. . .
Pedals
............. ........... .
Manual transmission: Gearshift lever
172
173
174
Automat ic transm ission :
lever.... 175
Sh ifting with nptro nic ® . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Driving with automatic transmiss ion 177
Automat ic transmission malfunction . . . . . . . . 178
Explanatory
notes in this sec tion regarding
Direct
The backup lights come on.
Climatronic switches to air culation mode.
The rear window wiper switches on when the
windshield wipers are switched on.
More information:
Braking , stoppi ng and parking 179
Climate control
Engine control and emission control system
Emergency
Rapid acceleration can cause skidding and loss of traction , especially on slippery roads,
re sulting in a loss of vehicle control, sions, and seriou s personal injury.
use the kick-down feature or fast cele ration if visibility, weather, road, and
Constant braking causes the brakes to and se rious personal injury.
the brakes or apply the brake
pedal too often or too long.
substantially reduce braking performance, increase stopping
the brakes by keeping your foot on the brake pedal when you do not want to brake . Thi s make the brakes wear faster.
gine braking and reduce the load on the brakes. Otherwise , the brake system could overheat and even

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