ESP VOLKSWAGEN GOLF PLUS 2004 Owner's Guide

you must install a reanvard facing child
seat on th e front passe nger seat b eca use of ce pti ona l circumstances , but the light does not come on and stay
Facil ity.
Alway s read and heed all
page Safety pag e Airbn g sys te m page safety restraints.
An improperly installed child res traint can terfe re w it h th e airbag as it de plo ys and ously injure or even kill the child -eve n w ith an Advanced Airbag
being require the following sp ecia l precautions
to be tak en:
-
Fonvard-facing child seats in stalle d on the front passe nger seat may interfere with the de ploym ent of the airbag an d cause se riou s
p ersonal inju ry to th e c hild.
- Always make s
ure that the fonvard-facing seat has been des igned and certified by its manufacturer for use on a front passe nger seat wit h a front and sid e airbag.
- Always care full y follow the ture r's in struction s prov ided with the c hil d scat or carrier.
- Never install a child res traint w
ithout a properly attach e d top tether strap if the child
res traint manufacturer's instructions quire the top te th er strap to be u sed.
- Neve r
put the fonva rd-faci ng c hild straint up agains t o r very nea r the
properly and safely
- Always set the safe ty belt upper a n ch orage
t o th e adjustment positi on tl1at permit s proper in stallation in accordance with th e child restraint manufacture r' s in struction s.
- A
lways move the passenger seat to the
hi ghest position in the up and down
justment range.
- Always
make sure that th e backres t is in
th e upright position .
- Never place
additional items on the seat th at can increase the tota l we ight regi ste red by the weight-se nsing mat and cau se injury
in a c rash .
Mak e sure that the BAG
If the BAG OfF light does not com e on and sta y immediately in stall the fonvard -facing child seat in at a seatin g position on the rear seat and have the airbag sys te m
Fac ility.
Always buckle the c hild seat in place even if a child is not sitti ng in it. A loose child
collisio n.
Note
When installing a child res traint , b e ca reful
not to get the belt caught in tl1c structure of tl1e child res traint and become damaged, especia lly when the swi tc habl e lo ckin g feature has been tivated.
Be careful not to activa te th e sw itch a bl e
lo ckin g retra ctor when routin g th e safety belt s
a round the head restraints . p ull the safety
b elt out far enough to allow you to route tl1e belt around th e head restraint.

Never attach two child restraint sys te m s to one top tether strap or top tether anchorage.
Neve r attach a child seat tether strap to a
Never use ch ild restraint top tether
pant restraints.
Never secure or a ttach any luggage or other items to the top teth er anchorages.
a tether o r other strap is used to attach a
c hild restraint to the front passenger seat, make
sure tha t it is not so tight that it causes th e
we ight-se nsing mat for the A dvanced Airbag
T he heavier weight registe red can make the
Advanced Airbag work as though an
adult wer e on the se at and deploy the Adva nced Airbag when it should be s uppressed causing rious or eve n fa tal injury to the child .
If yo u must ins tall a rearward-facin g child seat o n th e fron t passenger seat because of ce ptional circumstances, but th e BAG
Facility .
Note
If you leave the child restraint with the tether strap firml y installed for seve ral days, this could leave a mark on th e upholste ry o n th e seat cu shion and backre st in the area w he re the teth er
s tra p was installed. The upho ls tery would also be permanen tly stretched around th e tether strap.
This applies especiall y to leather seats .
Follow the c hild restraint manufacturer's struction s w he n installing or remo vin g
Unlo ck th e backrest and fold it slightl y ward.
Gu ide th e upper tethe r strap under or along both s ides of the head restraint (depending on th e
c hild restraint model) into th e luggage
the backres t back into its upright position and press it firmly into th e locking
the c hild restraint to the lower chorage points.
priate anch orage.
Tighten the tether strap firml y so that th e child
restraint lies secure ly agai nst the
first read and no te th e introdu ctory infor mation and heed th e o n page
The followin g are som e sou rces of ad ditional formation about child restraint sele ct io n.
advises that th e best child restraint is one that fits your child and fits in your ve hicl e, and whic h you use correctly and co nsis te ntly.
Try before you buy!
Tran sport Tel.: I oder I (613) 998-86 16, wenn man in der Regio n ist.
www .tc.gc.ca/ roadsa fe ty
Sitting properly and safely
Nat io nal Hi gh way Traffic
www.nhtsa.gov
National Tel.:
B e lt
www.carseat.org
Volkswagen
118 119

Lights and vision
Lights
information on the lowing:
. . . 123
Lights end Vision functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Headlight range adjustment, instrument cluster
lighting . .
. . . . . . . 125
Always obey country-specilic requirements abou t
vehicle lighting.
The driver is respon sible fo r the correc t
h ea dli ght scuin gs and driving lights.
Before driving
More information:
Information page
Changing light page 344
Headli ghts that are aimed too high and proper use of th e hea dlight flasher or hi gh
beam s can blind and distract other drivers. This
ca n lead to a and seriou s personal injuri es.
Always make sure erl y adjusted.
Neve r use the hea dlight flasher or beams w he n th ey can blind or distract other drivers.

Please first read and no te th e im rod uc tory info rmation a nd heed th e on page
Light s up Possible cau se Proper re sponse
any burned out lightbulb s page 344 or Driving not worki ng.
if ligh t bulbs are d ea le r or authorized ... swage n Serv ice Facility if necess ary.
Adaptive Front Ligh
ting Sys te m malfunc-
t ion. -
near fog s witc h e d on.
-
Front fog
T he in dicato r blin ks twice as fas t if a
If necessary, ch ec k th e vehicle and t railer turn signal is not wo rking on the vehi cle or
DRL
Daytime runnin g on.
High beams switched on or headligh t in use.
High beam co ntrol (Lig ht Assis t) on.
F las h
es Poss ible cause
.. Adap tive Front Lighting Syste m malfun c-tio n.
Whe n the ig nition is swi tched
Failure to heed warning light s and Instrument clu ste r t ex t m essages can cause the vehicle to break down in traffic and result in and seriou s personal injury.
Never i gno re warn ing lights or t ex t INGS.
Alwa ys stop the as soon as it is safe to do so.
light s and vision
-
122.
Proper respon se
a n authorize d
Wheneve r safe di stance ofT the sto p th e e ng in e, turn on th e em erge ncy flasher s,
and usc other warning dev ices to warn chin g
Neve r park the ve hicl e in areas where th e
h o t catalyt ic converter and exhau st syst em can
come int o contact with dry grass, brush, oil , or other m ate rial that can catch fire. A broken down ve h icle present s a high
ge ncy flash ers and se t up warning triangl e to
wa rn oncoming traffic

lifting and folding the wiper blades away from
th e
windshield
Move the wiper arm s th e serv ice position
Do not handle the wiper b lades; h andle the
wipe r arms o nl y at the a uachment above the w iper blades.
Rai n sens or
Fig. Windshield wiper lever : Adjusting rain senso r
first read and note the introductory information and heed th e WARNINGS on page 128.
When
swit ched on. the rain sensor automatically
shorte n s or le ngthens the de lay betwee n wiping in tervals depend in g on how hard it is The rain sensor's sensiti vity can be adjusted man­uall y. Manual wiping (vehicle s w ith out rain sen­sors) page 129.
Rain sensor off.
sensor active-automatic wiping needed.
Adju stin g the sensit iv it y of the rain sensor:
- Move switc h t o the right -hi gh sen siti vity.
- Move sw itch to the left - low se nsitivity.
swit ch in g th e ignition off an d back on again ,
t h e ra in sensor stays o n and works agai n with the wiper leve r in w he n the vehicle speed is over
events which occur in the dete ction zone of its
Lights and vision
Note
Always the windshield wiper arms down against the windshield before driving the ve hicle.
Fig . 8 1 Sensit ive rai n sensor surface .
fig. 81 an d malfu nction due number of reasons; these in clu de:
Worn out w ip er blades: Wo rn out w iper blades m ay lea ve a film of water or w ipi ng streaks; thi s can cause the wipers run longe r, to wip e more often , o r to w ipe continu ously at h ig h speed.
Insects: Insects the sensor may tri gger the w ipers .
s tr eaks: streaks o n th e w indsh ie ld from
w inter drivin g can cause wiping more often or continu ously on g lass that is almos t dry.
Dirt: Caked-on dust, wax, any build- up on the windshield (lotus effect), or car -w ash deter­gent residue can lower the rain sensor's sen siti vity and cause it to react too slowly or n o t all.
C ra ck or chip in the wind shi eld :
th at, th e
rai n sensor will recog nize the c ha nge re -cal i­itself to respond to the sensit ive su rface's re­duced detection zone. Depending on th e s ize of the chip, the sensor's reaction ern may or may no t change.

Heavy loads innuence th e way your vehicle handles and increa se stopping distances. Heavy
load s that arc not properly stowed or secured can cause los s of contro l and serious injury . Always remember when transporting heavy
objects that a change in the center of gravity also
changes the way your vehicle handles:
- Always dis tribute the load as evenly as
possib le. -heavy objects properly as far forward
in th e luggage compa rtme nt as possible.
- Always tie down heavy items secure ly using
th e tiedowns provided and suitable straps.
Never exceed th e Gross Axle Weight Rating or the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating on the safety compliance sticker on the left door jamb. Excee­
ding permissible weight can cause the vehicle to
skid and handl e diff erentl
y.
Always adapt your speed and driving to th e
heavi er load and the we ight distribution in the
vehicl e. Take road, weathe r, and visibility
cond itions into acco unt as we ll.
Stowing
on page 137.
Always stow all luggage securely in the vehicle
Distribut e loads in the vehicle, on th e roof and the trail er as even ly as possible.
Secu re lu ggage in the luggag e compartment with suit able tightening strap s to the tie-down page 142.
Adjust the headli ght page
Before driving
Drive especia lly carefully and accelerate
gently.
Avoid sudden braking and driving maneu­
ve rs.
Brake earlie r than yo u would if you were not driving a loaded
tire pressure. Heed the information on the tir e pressure page 276.
sure Monitor ing Syste m, the system may need to
be adjusted for the new page
CD Note
The heating wires in the rear window can be se­
vere ly damaged by hard or sharp things on the sh elf below the rear window.
review inf ormation about loading a page 152 and a roof rack 149.

Driving a
first read and note the introductory informat io n and heed the WARNINGS on page 137.
F
or good h andli ng w he n driving a loa ded ve hicl e,
please observe the following:
Secure ly stow page 138.
Dr ive especially caref ully and acce le rate gently.
Avoid sudd en braking and driv ing man eu ve rs.
Brake earlier than you wou ld if yo u were not
drivi ng a loa ded vehicle.
page 152.
If applicabl e, observe information rega rdin g driv in g w ith roof page 149.
Weights and
firs t read and no te the introductory information and heed the WARNINGS o n page 137.
The gross weight of any vehicle depends on its en gin e, basic equipment, an y factory- in stalled
optional equipment for the given model, and any retrofitted accessories. T he gross vehicle weig ht
rat ing
catio n Label loca ted on the door pillar of the dri ver
door.
The gross vehicl e we ight rating includ es the
weight of the ve hicle itself w ith of its tank of gaso line, the
Before driving
lo ads can ch ange the way your vehicle
h andles and incre ase stop ping dista nces. loads that are not properly sto wed or secured can shift suddenly, causing loss of co ntrol and serio us injury.
the load prope rly to keep it from
shifting.
A lways remember w hen tra nsp o rtin g
h eavy obje cts th at th ey vehicle's cente r of gravity and also the way it handles.
- Always dis
tribute the load as eve nly as
possible. -h eavy obj ec ts as far forward in
th e luggage compartment as poss ible. -If your ve hicle has tie-downs in the
Always tie down heavy items securely wit h
s uitable straps.
Secure ly latch th e rear backrest in the upright position .
Never excee d th e Gross Axle Weight Ratin g
o r the Gross Weight Ratin g on the safe ty compliance sti cker on the left door jamb. Exceeding permissi b le weight ca n ca use the
ve hicl e to skid and ha ndl e diff erently.
Always adapt speed and drivi ng to th e
h ea vie r load and th e we ight di stribution in the vehicle.
Always accelerate gently and avo id
s udd en braking an d drivin g maneuvers.
Always brake ea rlier than yo u wo uld if you were not drivin g a loaded ve hicle .
engine oil and coola nt, lbs/68 kg per seatin g position ) and ca rgo .
T
he gross axle weig ht ra tin gs sp ec ify th e imum allowab le load for ax le.
The cargo payload may not be increased by using
a roof rack without commen surat ely reducing th e
we ig ht from vehicle Dete rmin ing
th e gross vehicle weight page 276.
pay load cons is ts of th e co mbin ed w eight of th e following:
Passe ngers.
Tota l luggage and othe r ca rgo .
Roof load including the roof rack system.
Tong ue weig ht for trailer towing.

Luggage compartment
Introduction
In this section you'll fin d info rmation on the lowi ng:
Folding the backrest of the rear seat forward and back into place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Luggage compartment cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Luggage compartment pass-through . . . . . . . . . . 145
. . . . . . . . . 146
bag hooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 7
Luggage ne t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . 148
A lways stow h eavy objects in the luggage ment and mak e sure tha t th e rear se at back res ts
a re sec urely la tc h ed in their u pright positio n. strap s with the ric- dow n h ooks.
Never ove rload the ve hicle . Remember th at the hi cle load, well it is di str ibu te d , ca n
More info rmation:
A irbag pag e
page
page 137
Trail er page 152
Tires and pa ge 276
An open or unlocked luggage compartment poses sp eci al risks for children. C lose and lock the rear hatch and all doors when the vehicle is not in use. First, make certain that n o one is left insid e. Neve r leave your vehi cle unattende d or l et
childre n play around the ve hicl e, especi ally with the rear h atch left open. A child could crawl into the ve hicl e and pull the hatc h shut, b ecoming trapped and unable to ge t out. Thi s could cause severe or fatal injuries. A clo sed vehicl e can becom e very ho t or very cold, dependin g on the season. tures can quickly re ac h l eve ls that can cau se unconscio usness or death, particul arl y to sm all childr en . N eve r le t childr en play in or around the
veh icle .
Neve r let anyone ride in the lu ggag e partment.
Before driving
Unsecured or incorrec tl y stowe d item s can through the ve hicle, causing seriou s personal injury during hard brakin g or sh arp steering or in an acci dent. Loose item s can als o be s truck
and thrown throug h th e pa sse nger
Always sto w all objec ts sec ure ly in the
Always secu re objec ts prope rly w ith suit abl e
rop e or tightening s traps so that th ey cannot move into the deploy ment zo ne of the side o r
front airbag during a sudden braking or other driving maneu ve r.
Always kee p storage co mpartm ents clo sed
while driving.
Do not sto w hard , h eavy or sh arp objec ts
loo se in the vehicl e in open storage ments or o n to p of the dashboard.
A lways re m ove hard, heavy, or sharp objects
fr o m clothing and ba gs in the vehicl e int erio r
a nd sto w them secure ly in the lu ggage ment.
Tra nsportin g heavy objects causes the handling
c h arac teris tics of th e vehicl e to change and creases braking dista nces. Heavy loads wh ic h are n o t properly stowed or secured in tl1e vehicl e
can l ead to a loss of ve hicle control and cau se ri ous person injury.
T ra nsporting heavy item s ca uses the d ling characteris tic s of the vehicle to change by
s hiftin g the veh icle 's cen te r of g rav ity .
Alwa ys distribute ca rgo eve nly and as lo w as possibl e within the ve hicl e. The vehicl e capacity
we ig ht figures appl y w hen the load is distribute d
even ly in th e ve hicl e (p asse ngers and lugg age).
Alwa ys sto w lugg age and h eavy it e m s in the
lu ggage compartment as far fo n va rd of tl1e rear
axl e as poss ible and secure th em with priate strap s u sin g th e tic- dow n h ooks provided .

Roof rack
this section you'll find informatio n on th e lowin g:
Mounting the roof rock bose carrier and roof rock
mize aerod ynamics and does not have tradit io nal
rain gutters used to attach many kinds of roof
ra cks.
the rain gutte rs are m old ed into the roof to prov ide efficient ae rody nami cs, only approved base carrie r mounts and roof racks can be u se d.
When should the roof rack be removed?
it is no lo nge r need ed.
Befo re dri vin g throug h an automatic car wash.
th e ve hicl e would otherw ise be too high to achieve minimum clearance to enter, for ample, a ga rage.
More information:
page
Tran sp o rtin g=> page 137
Sav ing f uel and h e lping the en vironment 198
Tires and page 276
Parts, a ccesso ries, repa irs and modifica tio ns
Transporting heavy or bulky loads o n the roof rack will change the way the ve hicl e handles by shifting the ve hicl e's cente r of gravity and creasing the wind drag area.
Always secu re the load properly wit h suitable and undamaged straps so that the load wiH not s hift.
Cargo that is larg e, heavy, bulky, long or flat
will have a negativ e effect on the vehicle's
dling.
Always avoid sudden maneuvers and hard braking.
Always adapt your speed and driving to the heavier load and the we ight distribution in the ve hicle. Take road, weather, and vis ibili ty
conditions into account as we ll.
Note
Always remove the roof rack before driving through an automatic car wash.
vehicle is higher when the roof rack i s stalled, especially when it is loaded. Compare the ve hicl e height with ex isting clearance heights,
s u ch as underpasses and garage doors.
Always make sure that the roof rack system and anything being carried on it docs not
Make sure that the rear h atc h does not touch items on the roof rack when open ed.
a roof rack is installe d, fue l co nsumption inc reases due to in creased air resis tance.
148 149

In thi s section lowing:
Techni cal requirem ents ..... ............•. . . . 153
Hitching up and connecting a trailer . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Loading the traile r . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Dri ving with a trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
mo unt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Retrofitting a traile r hitch . . . . . . . .
country -s pecifi c requir em elll s about trailer
towin g and trai ler hit ches.
Your Volkswage n was mainl y designed f o r ca rryin g
passen gers. If yo u plan to tow a trail er, ple ase member your ve hicl e will be perfo rming job for
which it wa s no t primarily in tende d . Th e tion alload will aiTec t durabi lity, handling, fu el
economy, and p e rf ormance , and may re quir e th e
veh icle to be service d mo re ofte n.
T ra
iler towing only place s more str ess on th e
ve hicle , calls for more concentration from the
dri ver. Always follow the o p era ting and dri ving s tru ction s give n, and use common sense.
perm issible bar load
exerted on th e ball moulll should not exceed
More informati on:
ala rm pag e 38
page
Sav ing fuel and h elpin g th e en vir onment 198
S tarti ng ass istanc e page
T ires and page 276
acc essories, repairs and modifica tion s
Riding in a trailer is dangerou s and may be legal.
Before driving
Improper use o f the trailer hitch ca n cause
correct, or damaged trailer hitch ca n cause the
trailer to separate from the towing ve hicl e and cause se rious personal injuri es.
use an undamaged , properly mounted trailer hitch.
Never repair or modify the trailer hitch.
To reduce the risk of injury in rear-end sio ns and th e risk to pedestrians and cyclists when the vehicle is parked, always remove the ball mount when a trailer is not being used.
Neve r in stall a or hitch on you r ve hicle. The hicle was not design ed for these kind s of trailer
hit ch es. The hitch attachment can fail , ca using
th e trailer to tear loose from
Improper trailer towin g can cause loss of vehicle
co ntrol and serio us personal injury.
Driving with a trailer and carry ing heavy
o r large things can change th e way the vehicl e handles, increase the distance it need s to sto p
safely, and ca use accidents.
Always secure the load properl y with suitable and und amaged straps so that th e load will not
s hift .
Alw ays adapt your sp ee d and driv in g to
th e heav ier load and weight distribution in the vehicle. Take road, weather, traffic, and
Reduce your s pe ed even more th an yo u otherw is e would when going downhill and und er
unfavorabl e lo ad, weather, or wind co ndition s.
a lo w center of grav ity.
Always avo id sudd en maneu vers and hard
Be especiall y caref ul when pas sin g other ve hicl es. Reduce sp eed immediately if the traile r
shows the slightest sig n of swaying.