brakes VOLKSWAGEN GOLF MK6 2012 Owners Manual

N
on page 31.
Note the
Check th e depth of the water before driving
thr ough it. The wate r must not be any higher than the bottom of th e body
Do not dr ive faster tha n wa lking speed.
Never stop th e vehicle, and do not drive in verse or switch the engi ne off when driving through
water.
Oncoming vehicles may create waves that
raise the water
After driving through water, mud, etc., the brakes react
water.
Some basics 33

some area s, speed
is higher.
you are driv ing a new vehicle or a ve hicle with a new or rebui lt engine, do not tow a during the break-in period, about 283.
Technical requirements
tory informatio n an d heed the WARN­on page 149.
Use only a weight-car rying
hitch must be suitable for
you r
a "weight -dis­
tributing " or "load-equalizing " trailer hitch on your The vehicle is not designed for this kind of trailer hitch
Do not use a bumper-mounted traile r hitch
Never
a trailer hitch on the bumper or on the
bumper attachments. The trailer hitch must not in­
terfe re with the impact-absorbing bumper system.
Do not make any changes to the vehicle exhaust
and brake systems. From time to time, check that trailer hitch mounting bolts are secure ly fas­
tened. When you are not towing, remove the trailer
hitch. This
helps keep the trailer hitch from causing damage if your vehicle is hit from behind.
Engine cooling syste m
Tow i
ng a trailer makes the engine and its cooling
system work harder.
Before driving
maintenance more often because of the extra
load it has to move.
When you are not towing , remove the trailer hitch
Some models need a trailer hitch to tow or tow-start other vehicles. after it has
been removed. Be sure to stow it securely. Trailer brakes
your trailer has its own brakes , make sure it
meets
151 .
T ra
iler
Trailer lights must meet regulations 151.
Never connect the trailer lights directly to the elec­
t rical system
of your
Outside mirrors
you cannot see the traffic behind you using the
r egular outside mirrors, then you must ex­
t ended mirrors. Extended mirrors may also be re­
quired by law in some countries
I states I provin ­
ces . Always adjust the outside mirrors befo re dr iv­ing. It's vital that you always have a clear view to
the rear of the veh icle .
Maximum po w er con sumption fo r the trailer
Do not exceed the power ratings listed in the chart
b elow.
E l
ectr ica l load Maximum power
Taillights total

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

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.

Lights cause or up
I
ES deactivated.
I Together with indicator malfunction .
T ogethe r with warning
or BRAKE:
Brake not dep ressed.
cause
I
The butt on in the is not
engaged .
When the ign ition is switch ed on,
text messages can cause the to break down in traffic and
or text WARN­
stop the as soon as it is safe to do so.
Driving with bad brakes can cause a and serious
the brake warning BRAKE or does not go out, or comes on when driving, either the brake or there is a the as soon as you can do so and get expert assistance 187, Brake
fluid.
the brake warning comes on at the same time as the or the
187 . automatically
turns on when you turn the ignition on and off.
an authorized Volkswagen or an thorized Volkswage n The brake s work without
to
Adapt driving to
road conditions.
E ngage the Automatic
Lock
This up brake
you is safe to drive, drive and very authorized Volkswagen Service or other
spected. Avoid sudden hard braking and steering.
or does not go out, or if it comes on while driving, the system is not working can then be stopped with the
s tandard brakes (without not have the protection
thorized Volkswagen Service as soon as
Starting, shifting, parki ng 181

transmission into 1st gear (on
and the out.
keys with you when
Before stopping the en gine, turn the steer ing so th at, if the starts to into the curb :
turn the fro nt
Facing
The
on page 179.
New
brake pads do not provide to km)
and must first be To some extent,
you can make up for th e somewhat reduced
formance by more pressu re to t h e brake But, during the break-in period, the
be the brakes are ken in. Avoid hard braking a nd situatio ns that might
requ ire hard brakin g (such as
on operati ng
condit ions and the way the
you
serv ice
damage your bumper and related parts if the front of your vehicle hits a barrier or curb that is too high you are
getting into or out of a parking spot. To
to the ground may be damaged (such as bumper covers, spoilers, and parts of the en-
gine , suspension, and exhaust systems). Wet brake s (for or after heavy be whe n brake discs are wet or, in winter, even
icy. Wet or icy brakes must be dried as soon as by high speed.
Make sur e nobody is behind you and that you do
not enda nge r
or othe rs
t her e is on th e roads and you are not braking brake move any
Brake disc corrosion (rust) and dirt to occur if the is not driven much or is driven fo r short
distances with the brakes have not
been used and th ere is some rust on the discs, the brake discs and pads once in a by
shifting, parking

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.

When th e front brakes are serviced , you
checked The best way to check for brake pad wear is to have your author-
Braking assistance systems
first read and note the introduc­tory information and heed the WARN­on pag e 179.
The and EDL braking assis­tance systems work
to improve road dy­namics to of skidding and of when the engine is running . driv­ing situations ,
you to get the
the
has of physics. not
may not be
or snow,
(r ides on a cushion of water instead of the road surface) , not be because contact with the pavement has been interrupted and the
as with difficult driving situations as it can at speeds. When towing a to if you were not towing a
to visi­road, traffic , and weather conditions . cannot override the in ­crease the trac tion , o r keep a
of keeping the and on the road ized
inspect the pads through the openings in the necessary, the can be taken
off for a more thorough inspection. during
extreme maneuvers by using the driver's
s teeri ng inputs to
can provide any assistance, you may not ex­perience the benefits of
and/or works together wi th the EDL, and XDL systems (see the time and cannot be switched off. certain situations when you need traction cannot be ach­ieved, you can switch off by pressing the button on again when you no traction .
Anti-Lock Brake
to keep the to maintain the driver's to steer and the This means the is
down hard and
Do not "pump" the brake
the
notice a
cannot shorten the stopping distance
under all conditions. The stopping distance may even be for instance , when driving on grav­or on snow covering an icy or pery surface.
Brake Assis t
can you press the brake very detects an emergency situation. brake system pres­
sure , maximizing braking power and reducing the stopping distance. This way, and efficiently.

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