warning VOLKSWAGEN GOLF PLUS 2004 Owner's Guide

Note
Failure to heed warning lights or tex t can result in vehicle damage.
Turn signal le v e r and high beam switch
Fig. 73 Tu rn sig nal leve r and high b eam switch.
P lease first read and note the introduc to ry informa tio n and heed the on page
signal.
Left sig n al.
hi gh beams on o r An
H eadlig h t fla sh er. The headligluflash eris o n
a s lon g as th e lever i s pulled . The indicator light
Light is swi tc h ed on and off in the Lights & Visio n m enu in tl1e instrument clu ste r page 21. If your v e h icl e is not e q uipped
w ith th e Lights & Vision menu, the
The turn signal works only when the
The indicator light fla sh es tw ic e as fast if a turn s ignal bul b is burned out.
the beam headlights are on .

Switching lights on and off
Fig. 74 Light switch next to the steeri ng (different versions).
first read and note the introducto ty information and heed the o n page
Turn the switch to the desired fig . 74:
When t11e ignition is swit ch ed off
Fog lights,
Orientation light ing may be switched on.
light s sw itched on.
--Low beam s swi tc h ed off. T he park ing and day tim e runnin g light s may stay on for some time.
Fog
The indicator light
To switch on the fog the swi tc h out to o r to the first detent.
T o switch th e fog lights, press the ligh t switch or turn it to t he pos ition.
Acoustic warning when lights are not switched off
the following situati on s, a wa rnin g sig nal sound if you take the k ey out o f th e op en th e driver door. This is to remind you that lights are on.
Light switch in
Light switch in position
Lights and vision
t11c ignition is swi tched on
Headligh ts daytim e running on.
A ut
omatic headligh t and daytime ning lights sw itched on.
switched on.
Low beams switched on.
lights and daytime running lights are not bright enough to let
Always switch on t11e lo w-beam headlights at dus k or when it is dark and whenever weather is bad or visibility is poor.
Never use the daytime running lights to see where you are going. They are not bright enough and will not let you see far enough ahead for
The taillight s do not come on t11e daytime running light s. the taillight s are on,
Even if automatic headlig h t control is switched on, the headlights may st ill
not come on by themsel ves in fog or heavy rain. have to switch on the low-beam headlights manual!.
122 123

In this section you'll find information on th e lowing:
Indicator light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
func tions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
w iper service pos itio n . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rain sensor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
and refilling wind shi eld washer fluid 132
More information :
Air condition er air rec irculation mode page 226
Preparatio ns for working in the engin e page 242
Exte rior care and cleaning=> pag e 262
washer fluid without enough frost can freeze on the windshield and duce visibility.
Never use the wind shield wipers/washers when it is freezing without first defrosting the windshield. The washer solution may freeze on the windshie ld and reduce visibility.
sonal injury.
Always replac e wiper blades that are worn,
damaged, or do not kee p the windshield clear.
Note
To help prevent damage to the wiper blades and the wiper motor when it is cold outside, always make sure that blades are not frozen to the shi eld before operating the wipers. When parking the vehicle in freezing weather, it can be he lpful to
plac e th e windshield wipers in the so they do not fr eeze to the windshie ld
Plea se first read and note th e imrodu cto ry informati on and hee d the on page 128.
Light s up Possibl e ca use
was her and re ar windo w
was he r fluid leve l too low.
the ignition is switc h ed Note
Failure to heed warning ligh ts or text can resu lt in ve hicl e damage

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.

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.

Warning and indicator
Please fir st r ead and not e th e int rod uc tory informatio n and heed th e on pag e 179.
Light s
Possibl e cause up
Brak e pedal not d ep ressed!
Brake pedal w as not depressed before a new drive position wa s selected with the
se lec to r l eve r. o r be fo re pe rformin g
Possibl e caus e
The re lease bul!on in th e s elec tor leve l did
n o t en gage in po siti on. V ehicle is preve nted.
th e ig niti on i s s witch ed on, seve ral warnin g
and indica to r lig hts c om e on briefly fo r a function
c heck . T hey go out aft er few sec o nd s.
to hee d warning light s and in strument
clu ste r te xt m essages cause the v ehicl e to
b reak d own in and result in colli sion and seri ou s persona l injury.
Neve r ignore warning lig ht .s or t ext
drivin g
Prop er re sponse
Dep ress the brake pedal.
Appl y th e brake pedal to sele ct a dri ve position
Prop er re sp o nse
E ngage se lecto r lev er
page 183.
Alwa ys stop the ve hicl e as s oo n it is safe to
d o s o.
stalled or stopped f or r epa ir , move the ve hicl e a safe di sta n ce
Note
Fa ilur e to heed warning lights o r tex t

Braking, stopping, and parking
Introduction
In this section yo u'll find inform ation on fo l­
lowi ng:
Warning and indicator lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Park in g brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 1
About t
he brakes . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 192
Bra king assistance sys tem s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Switching Anti-Slip Regulation (ASR) on ond off . . 196
Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
T he brakin g support syste ms are Brake A ss is t E lec tro nic Differ e n tial Loc k (EDL). Anti-Slip
M ore information:
Trail er page
pag e
Tires and page 276
acce ssories, r epa ir s and modifi catio ns
brakes or worn brake pads can
ca use colli sio n and serious personal inju ry.
light s up in the
in strument cluste r di splay, w heth er a lo n e or to­
ge ther with tex t message, immediat ely conta ct an authorized Volk swage n dea ler or authorized
Volkswag en Se rvi ce Faci lity to have th e brake pad s ch ecke d and , if necessary, re pl aced.
WARNING
improperly can cause se riou s pe rso nal
injury .
Never re m ove key from the ignition switch while vehicl e is m ov ing or ro llin g to a
s top. The steering w heel w ill lock and you not be
Never park the vehicle w here the ho t ex ha ust
syste m or catalyti c convert er could ignit e flam ­
mabl e mater ia ls, su ch as brus h , leaves , dry grass, spilled fue l, e tc .
Always apply th e parki ng brake whe n
p a rki ng your veh icle. Imprope r u sc of th e
p a rking bra ke can se rio usly injur e you and your passe nge rs.
Never use the
e m ergency . The stopping dista n ce is muc h
longer b ec au se onl y the wheels arc braked . use the foot brake to sto p the vehicle .
Never the throttl e from
th e e ng in e
th e automati c transmission is in gear. The ve hicle will start t o move as soon the e ngine speed ev en i f th e brake is on.
Never leave childr en or anyo ne w ho canno t
h elp them se lve s beh in d in the vehicl e. They could re leas e the brak e move the gear selector leve r or shift , wh ic h could cause th e vehicle to start m ov ing. Thi s ca n lea d
to a cras h and seri ous personal injuri es.
Always take the key with you when yo u
leave th e ve hicle . The engine ca n be started and ve hicl e sys te m s s uch as the power wind ows can
b e operate d , le ad ing to seri ous perso nal injury.
Neve r leave childr en , di sabled perso ns, or a nyon e who cannot h elp them se lves in the vehicl e. T he doors can b e lo cke d wit h the re mote contro l ke y, trapping passe nge rs in the
ve hicle in an emerge ncy. For exa mpl e, dep en­ding on th e tim e of year, people trappe d in the
ve hicle can be ex pose d to very high or very temperatures. Heat build -up in the passenger and parked vehicl e result in temperatu res in the ve hicl e th at arc much hi gher than the outsid e tempe mtu­
res, partic ul arl y in summer. T emperatures ca n
qui ckly reac h le v e ls that can cause uncon­
scio usn ess ch ildr en.

Note
Always be careful when you park in areas with parking barriers or high cmbs. These vary in h eigh t and could damage your bumper andre­lated parts ifLhe front of your ve hicl e hit s a barrier or curb that is too high while you are getting into or out of a parking spot . To help prevent damage, stop before the tires of your vehicle touch a parking barrier or curb.
Warning and indicator
Note (continu ed)
Always be careful when you enter a driveway or drive up or down steep ramps or over curbs or obstacles. of the vehicle close to Lhe ground may be damaged (s u ch as bumper covers,
spoilers, and parts of the engine, suspen sion, and exhaust
firs t read and note Lhe introdu ctory informat io n and hee d the WAHNINGS page 188.
Lig ht s
191.
Brak e syste m malfun ction. Stop!
Get
expert assi stance pag e 192.
Brake fluid leve l too low. Stop!
BRAKE brake fluid page 197.
Take the vehicle to an au thorized indicator light or dea ler or authorize d Volksw agen Service Fa-
ABS: failure. ci
lity. Th e ve hicl e brakes will work without ABS.
Brake pedal not depressed! Depress the brake
pedal.
BRAKE Immediate ly take the vehicle to an auth orized
WEAR Front brake pads wo rn. Volkswagen dealer or authorized Volk swage n
Serv ice Facility. and if necessary re-place, all brake pads.
switc h ed off for syste m r easo ns. Switch ignit ion off an d on again . You may have
to dri ve a short dis tan ce.
Take th e ve hicle to an authori zed Volksw age n malfunc ti on. dealer or a
uthorize d Volk sw agen Service Fa-cilit y .
Tak e the vehicl e to or d ea le r or a uthori zed Volksw agen Service Fa-
ABS:
page257
manually deacti va te d. S
witch on p age 196. a ut om atically
turns on w he n you turn the ig nition on and off.
Startin g, shift ing, parking 188 189

Lights cause or up
I
Together w ith indicator
m alfun ction.
T oge th
er with warning light
cause
or is opera ting.
W hen the ig nition
is sw itched on,
light s and instrument cluster text messages can cause the vehicl e to
break down in traffic and result in a collision and serious personal injury.
Never ignore warning light s or text WARN­
Always stop the vehicl e as soon as it is safe to
do so.
Driving
with bad brake s can cause a collision and serious p ersonal injury .
does
not go out, or co mes on w hen driving, either the brak e fluid leve l in the reservoir is too low or there is a fault in the brake sys tem. Immediately
s top driving and get expert assista nce
response
Take the veh icle to an authori zed Volkswage n
d ealer or authori zed Volkswagen Service Fa-The ve hicl e brake s will work without
response
foot off accelerator pedal. Adapt driving to road conditi ons.
If the brake warnin g light BRAKE or co mes on at the same time as the warning light or th eABS may not be working properly. Thi s
could cause th e rear whee ls to lock up re latively
quickly during braking. Rear wheel brake lock­
u p can cause loss of veh icle control. If yo u be­
lieve that it is safe to do so, reduce your speed and d ri ve carefully and at low speeds to the neares t authorized Volkswagen dealer or a qual­
the indicator light or does not go out , or if it comes on driving, the sys tem is not workin g properly. The vehicle can th en be stopped onl y with the standard brake s
(wi thout ABS). w ill not have the protection provides. Contact your authorized Volk­
swage n dealer or an authorized Volkswagen vice Facility as soon as possib le.
lights up in the
in strument cluster display, whether alo ne or to ­gether with a te xt message, immediately contact an authorized Volkswagen dealer or authorized Volkswage n Facility to have the brake pad s ch ecked and, if necessary, replaced.
Note
Failure to heed warning lights or text WARNINGS can re sult in vehicle damage

Befo re stopping th e en gine, turn the s teerin g
w heel so th at, if the ve hicl e sta rt s to its w heels w ill int o th e curb:
Fac ing turn the fro nt whee ls s o th a t
they point t oward the curb .
Fa c in g uphill , turn the front whee ls so that th ey
p o int away from the curb .
WARNING
The vehicl e exh aust system and the catalyt ic
co nverter or diesel particulate filter get very hot and can cause a and serious personal injury.
Never park where the ho t exhaust system could ignite flammable m aterial s, su ch as brush, leaves, dry grass , spilled fuel, etc.
About the brakes
read and note th e introductor y information and hee d th e on page 188.
New d o not provi de to miles to km) and m ust firs t be
hard braking and situ atio ns that
mi ght re quir e hard braking (such follow in g other vehicles too closely)-during the break-in period .
pad wear depe nd s m ostly o n operatin g the vehicle is d riven.lfyou do a l ot o f ci ty and shor t-dis ta nce driv ing and/or have
a sp o rt y driv in g s ty le, yo u sh ould have th e brake
p ad s checke d by a n authorized Vol ksw age n d eal er or a u thori ze d Volkswagen Service Fa cilit y m ore
o fte n than the regula r servi ce interva ls.
Wet
r e la tive ly hi gh speed.
Mak e sure nobo dy is be hind you and that yo u do
not endanger yo urself or
Not e
Alwa ys be careful when you park in areas with parking barriers or high curbs . T hese vary in heig ht and could damage your bumper lated parts if the front of your ve hicl e hits a barrier or curb that is too high while you are getting into or out of parking spot. To help prevent dam age,
s top b efore the tires of your ve hicle touch a parking barrier or c urb.
Alwa ys be c areful when you enter a or down steep ramps or over curbs or other obstacl es. o f th e v ehicl e close to the ground be damaged (such as btm1per covers,
s p oi lers, and parts of the en gine, suspension, and exhaust sys tems).
coa ted with road sa lt also react slowe r and need lo nge r stopping dis ta n ces. there is salt o n
t h e ro ads and you are no t b raki ng reg ularly , b ra ke carefully and ge ntl y from tim e to tim e to rem ove
a n y salt coa ting from the bra ke discs an d pad s
Brake d isc corro sion (rust) and dirt buil d-up on
th e br
ake pads are m ore like ly to o ccur if th e hide is no t dri ven muc h or i s drive n only fo r sh o rt dista nces w ith littl e brakin g. th e brake s have not
been use d and th ere is so me ru st o n t he di scs, clean th e brak e discs and p ad s o nce in a whi le by carefully braking co upl e of times whi le dri v in g at
r e lati vely hi gh sp ee d to help clean the bra ke di scs
and pad s. Mak e sure n o bod y is behind you and that you do no t enda nger yo urself or
B rake system malfunction
you brake and
th e ve hicl e to the n earest authorize d Volkswage n dea ler or
p in g d is ta nce, and be ready to pus h lo nger and harder on th e brak e pedal to slow th e ve hicl e
d own.