VOLKSWAGEN GOLF PLUS 2012 Owners Manual

Mounting the roof rack base carrier and roof rack
Fig. 94 Mounting points for the base carrier and roof
rack on 2-door
first read and note the in troduc tory information and heed the on page 149.
Th e base carrier is the foundat i
on of a co mpl ete roof carrier syste m . For safe ty reasons, additio n al
mo unts necessary for transporting luggage, bi­
cy cles, su rfb oards, skis and boats. acces ­
sories be purchased from your authorized Volkswage n dealer or a uthori zed Volkswagen
th e installat io n instru c­
tions from the roo f rack manufa cturer.
The fr o nt mounting ho les are on th e underside of the roof frame. They are with pla stic screws (m ag nified view on le ft). The holes o nl y vis ible whe n th e door is open. The rear mark­
in gs fo r th e ba se carrier are above the rear side fig. 94 (magnified view on right).
on th e undersid e of the roof fr ame. They are sea led with plastic sc rews (mag nified view on le ft). T he rea r mark­
in gs for the base carrier are on the unders ide o f the roof fig. 95 (magnifi ed view on rig ht).
Before driving
Fig. 95 Mou nting points for the bose carrier and roof
rock on 4-door
The hol es markin gs onl y vis ib le whe n th e door is open.
m ount the roof rack base carrier on the mark ­ings shown in the illu stra tion.
or using a base ca rrier or roof rack im­
p roperly can cause the entire syste m to fly off the ve hicle, causing accide nts and injuri es.
the installation instructions provid ed by th e manufacturer.
Mount the roof rack base carrier only at the markings shown in the fig. 94 fig. 95 .
Make sure that bolt s and fasteners are properly re -tighten them as needed after dri ving a short distance. Du ring a lo ng trip,
c h ec k bolts fasteners at each stop.
Always properly s pecial fixtures fo r
items such bicy cle s, skis, su rfboard s, etc.
the in stallatio n instructi ons prov ided the roof rack system. carry them in the veh icle.

Securing a
first r ead and note the introdu ctory information and heed the on pag e 149.
It is no t pos sibl e secure a load unless the roof rack sys te m has bee n pro perly
Maximum permissible roof load
Th e ma ximum permi ssibl e roof load is l65lb s. (75 kg). Th e roof load is the combined weight of
the roo f ra ck and the item s bein g carri ed on th e
Transporting
Checking the mountings
Afte r the base carrier and rook rack have been in­
s talled, check all bolt s and faste n ers after drivin g a
s h ort time and at regular int erva ls th ereaft er.
If the maximum permissible roof load is ex­
ceeded, accidents and substantial vehicle damage may occur.
Never exceed the specified roof load, the maximum gross axle weight rating, or the gross
veh icle weight rating .
Always make sure that loads are evenly dis­
tributed and that heavier it ems are, as far as pos­
sible, toward the front.
Loose
or improperly secured item s can fall off the roof rack and cause accid ents and injuri es.
Always use suitabl e, undamaged tie-down
ropes and ratchet straps.
the load
151

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.

Never drive fa ster than mph mph -
Never try to stop the swaying by accelerating.
fir st read a nd note the imroductory informatio n and heed the on page
If the ve hicle was fac tory-equipped with a trail er
hi tch, all technical and lega l require m em s fo r
trailer towi ng have already been m et.
use a trai le r hitc h w hich is approve d for the
g ro ss wei ght rating of the trailer yo u want to tow. The hit ch mus t be s uitabl e fo r your vehicle and
tr ailer and be securely bolt ed to the ve hicle's chassis. use a trail er hitc h with a re movable ball mount. Alway s check and follow the trail er
hi tch manufacturer's information. Neve r in stall a o r tra ile r hitch on yo u r vehicle.
D o n
ot use a bumper-mounted trai le r h itch
Never insta
ll a trailer hitch on the bumper o r or on th e bumper mountings. The traile r hit ch mus t not in terfe re wit h the impact-absorbing bumper syste m . D o not make any changes to the ve hicl e exhaust and brake sys te m s. From time to time, check that all hitch m oumin g bolts are securely fas ten ed . W hen not towing. re m ove the trailer hi tch. Thi s help s ke ep the hitch from causin g damage if your ve hicl e is hit from behind.
Eng ine cooling syste m
Tow ing a tra
iler makes the e ngin e
If you arc dri ving a new ve hicle or ave-do not tow
a t railer
mil es
need
load it h as to pull.
When you are not towin g, remove the trailer
models need trail er hit ch to tow or tow -s tart other ve hicl es. may
Trailer brakes
If your trail er has its own brake s, make sure it
meet s all regulati ons. Th e trailer bmke sys te m
mu st never be directly connecte d to the ve hicle's brake system .
Safety c
hain s
A lways u
se safety chains be tween yo ur vehicle and
th e trailer.
Trail er rear lights
Tra
ile r lights must meet all regulation s.
Neve r
connect the tmil er l ights directly to the e lec­
trica l s ys tem of your ve hicl e. Be su re to check wit h
your authorized Volkswagen dealer or authorized Volk swagen Faci lit y about correct w iring, sw itches and re lay s.
Outside mirrors
I f
the s ta ndard ou ts id e mirror, addition al outs ide m irrors are needed and required b y law in so me coumrie s I states I provin ces. The o uts id e
mirr o rs mus t b e adjuste d b efore driv in g and g ive good v iew to the rear.
Max im um power consump tio n f or th e trailer
D o no t excee d the power ratin gs liste d in the chart below.
E l
ectrical consumers power con-sumptio n
Taillight s
Turn signals pe r sid e 54 wat ts

Electrical consumers Max. power sumption
Brake lights total
An improp erl y in sta ll ed or incorrect t railer hit ch can
trail er any
m ore , remove the entire trailer hitch. Always
sea l all bolt ho les to prevent water and deadly
exhaust fumes from getting int o the ve hicle.
Hitching up and connecting a
Ple a se firs t r ea d and no te the introdu cto ry informati on and heed th e on pag e 152.
n ers witho ut str etc hi ng the c hain s. T he safety
c hain s mu st n ot drag o n th e g ro und, ho wev er.
Trailer electrical socket
The vehicl e m ay be opti onally equipped with a
setup for con nec ting a trailer so cket. Th e ele ctrical connec tio n betwee n th e towing ve hicle and the
trailer is a convent io nal7-pin trailer socke t.
T raile r rear lights
Mak e sure that th e trailer light s work prop erly and
m ee t le gal re quir em ent s. D o no t excee d th e
im um po w er co nsumpti on f or th e trail er 153 .
Before drivin g
Note
If you tow a trailerfrequenll y,
ween th e re gular maintenance and inspecti on
int erva ls because of the extra load it has to pull.
Do not use a trailer with LED (lig ht emitting
di ode) rear lights, as they ca n d amage your ve hicle's ele ctroni cs.
If the uses too much elec tricity, the
ve hicle' s e lectroni cs may be damaged.
Never connect the electric.1.l system for th e
trailer directly to the electrical connection s for
th e rear light s or to any other unsuitabl e powe r
sources. Use onl y a suit abl e connector to provide
po we r to trailer.
In some co untries an additio na l fire extin­gui sh er must be carried if th e tota l w eight of th e trailer exce e d s 5,512lb s.
Improp er connections to the ve hicl e elec trical
sys te m can cause malfunction s that affect the
entire vehicle electrical system, which lead to acciden ts and seriou s pe rso nal injury.
Have any work on the electrical syste m d on e
b y an authorized Volkswage n dealer or autho­
rized Volk sw age n Facility.
Never connect th e e lectrical syste m for the trailer to Ll1e e lectrical connections for
th e rear lights or to any other unsuit abl e power
sources . Usc only a suitabl e con nec tor to vide power to the trail er .
Note
------------------------~ Never attach trailer to the vehicle or leave it taclled to the vehicle when the trail er i s supported
b y a trailer jack or blocks. Various thin gs (sucl1 as c h a ng e in traile r or vehicl e load or a fla t tir e) can lower or raise the ve hicle. Thi s subj ects th e trailer
hit ch and th e trailer to strong fo rces that can d a mag e th e ve hicl e or the trailer.

Any problems with the vehicle's elec trica l system when attached to a trailer should be chec ked by an authorized Volkswagen dealer or authorized Volkswagen Service Facility.
Loading the trailer
Pleas e first read and note the introductory information and heed the on page 152.
Towing capacity and tongue weight
Towing capac ity is the load that th e vehicle can
159.
The towing capacity and tongue weigh t indicated on the model plate o f the trail er hit ch are only re f­
e ren ce value s. The vehicle-specific values, which are often below these values, can be found in the vehicle document s. Specificat ions in officia l ve­
hicl e documents alwa ys take precedence.
To help en sure optimum handling and driving safe ty, Volkswagen recommends always using the
not handle as well.
Tongue weight increases the load on the rear axle and, in turn, reduces the remaining pay load your ve hicl e can cor­
rect load limit.
Combined towing weight
towing weight is th e we ight of the
l oaded tow in g vehicle plus th e we igh t of th e
l oaded trailer.
In some countries, su ch a s th e States and Ca nada, trailer s are organ ize d in to cla sses. swagen recommend s askin g an authori zed swage n dealer or auth orized Volksw agen Se rvice
Facili ty about suitabl e trailer s.
Thi s
vehicle has not been desig n ed to tow a traile r and must n eve r be retrofitted to tow a II trailer. Always make sure that your vehicl e has been designed to tow the trai le r you want to use and that is is legal to tow the traile r where you be driving.
T ronsporting
Loading the trailer
The weig ht dist ribution in the vehicle and tra iler
mu st be balanced. th e maximum permissible
tongue weight and make sure that the load in the
trail er i s eve nly di stributed and that it is not front­
h eavy or back-heavy:
Distribut e th e load in th e trail er so that heavy objec ts are directly above the axl e or as close as
po ssibl e to the
Secu re load s properly on the trail er.
Tire pressure
Always follow th e trail er manufac turer' s tir e pres­
s ure recommendations fo r the trailer tires.
W h
en towing, inflat e th e towin g vehicl e's tir es to the maximum permissible press ure listed on th e
tir e pressure la bel pag e 276.
Exceeding
the maximum gross axle and tongue weight ratings, as well as the gross vehicle or combined towing weight ratings, can cause acci­dents and serious personal injury.
Never exceed the stated va lues.
Never let the actual weight at the front or rear axle exceed the Gross Axle Weight Rating for that
axle. Never let the combined front and rear weights exceed the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating.
Trailer loads
that are not properl y secured can shift when the vehicl e is moving or braking and suddenly change the way the vehicle handles,
causing accidents and severe injuries.
Always load the trailer properly.
Always secure the load properly with suit­able, undamaged straps that can be tightened so that th e load cannot shift.
154 155

Driving with a
Please fir st read and note the introductory
o n page 152.
Headlight settings
Towing a tra
ile r can ra ise the fron t end of th e ve­
hicle enough fo r the low beam s to blind other road u sers. the headlight ra nge adjustment feature
to lower the light cones as req uired . your vehicle does not have headlight range adjustment, have
the headli gh ts adjusted by an authorized Volk­swage n dealer or au th orized Volkswagen Serv ice Facility . Vehicles with gas-d ischa rge lamps self-adjus t to vehicle load an d do not need manual adjustme nt.
Special towing
considerations
Due to th e combined towing weig h t includin g the hi gh er gross vehicle weight, the stopping dis­tance is longer .
Before driving downhill , especially on hills that
a re long or steep, shift in to a lower gea r (m anual
t ransmi ssion) or a lower drive position (automatic
t ra n smi ssion) so that the eng in e helps to brake th e vehicl e. Otherwise, the b rake system could ove r­heat and might fail.
The ve hicle's center of grav ity and, i n
Weigh t dis tr ibutio n i s especially bad if the
tow ing veh icle is e mpty and the traile r i s loaded. If
you absolutely must d rive with this combination , drive with extra care an d at a reduced speed.
Starting off with a trail er on hills
Depend ing o n how steep the h ill is and the com­bined tow ing weig ht, a parked vehicle wi th trailer can roll backwards when yo u firs t sta rt mov ing.
When sta rti
ng off with a trailer on a hill :
Depress and ho ld the brake pedal.
Befo re driv ing
Ma nual transmiss io n : d epress th e clutch fully.
Shift into fir s t gear or drive posi t ion D page 179,
Unlock the par ki ng brake and release it
w hil e ho ld ing th e unl ock butto n.
page assistance systems.
Do not re lease th e parkin g bra ke leve r until the engine sta rt s to move th e vehicle fonvard. your veh icle has an automatic t ransmissio n, yo u can
also depress a nd ho ld the brake pedal for added b raking and then letup on th e brake pedal w hen
you feel th a t the vehicle to move fo rward.
Drive ahead slowly at first.
A lways watch what i s happening up a head
and a round you. Brake earlier than you would if yo u were not to wing a trailer.
Drive especially care full y and accel erate gently. Always avoid sudde n m an euvers and h ard braking.
Be especiall y care ful when p ass ing other hicles. Reduce speed immediate ly if t he trailer
s hows the s lightes t sig n of swayin g. Reduce speed immediatel y if the t ra ile r shows even the
slightest sig n of sway ing.
Neve r try to sto p th e swayin g by accelerating.

Fig. 96 Dimensions of the mount support.
first read an d note the int rod uctory inform ati o n an d heed th e on 152.
Your vehicle is not equipped with a trailer h itch. you must tow a trailer, yo u must h ave the
ca n be pro perly ha nd le d.
The rec eive r set-up on yo ur ve hicle requ ires the use of ball mount togeth e r a ball that meet s
s pecia l re quire ments with regard to size and om etry. Th is app lie s to bot h th e height of th e ball above the surface where it fig. 96 and th e pin -to-ball distance
These dimen sion s are im po rtant because they h elp dete rmi ne th e th a t the forces that a rise during a re applie d to t he receiver and its tachments to th e ve hicle. Your authori zed dealer or authori zed Volksw agen Service
Faci lit y has approved ball mount an d ball th a t
meet these importa nt specifica tion s. you buy a
diff ere nt ball mount and ball, make s ure that th ey
meet t he following specifica tion s.
Ball
mount dimensions
T he drop heig ht fro m th e ce nter of th e ball to th e cente r of th e ho le fo r th e sec uring pin on th e ball mount mus t b e a t least in ch
T he pin-to -ball dista n ce ® from th e center of th e ball to th e ce nter o f th e hole fo r t he sec uring
pin on th e ball mount must b e no mo re th an 7
Transporti ng
inches mm). The ball diamete r must be no
m ore thanl1
/ 4 in ches (31.8 mm).
T he ball d iamete r must b e no more th a n in ch es
rize d Volkswagen dealer o r a u th o rized Volkswag en
S ervice Facility in stall tl1e electri c a l sys te m and socket.
A ba
ll mount and ball combin ation that does not specifi cat io ns can d amag e your ve hicle and may ev en fail in
o r tr ailer hi tch on you r veh icle . The h icle is not desig ned for this kind of
A n impro pe rl y instal led or unsuit abl e trailer
hi tch can cause the tra iler t o separa te from towing ve hicle and result in a m ajo r ac cident
with seri o us personal inju ries.
H ave any trail er hitch retro fit or
dealer or authorize d Volkswagen vice Faci lity.
Th e ball m ount sti ck s out b ehind th e rear bumper an d can cause injury to pedestria ns a nd
cyclis ts.
T o reduce the risk of inju ry in rea r-end
Note
Neve r usc a hit ch b all larger th an inches in
d ia m ete r o n your vehi cle. The ve hicl e was no t sig ne d t o tow he avier trailers h ave receivers
l a rger than th e pres c rib ed hit ch ball. The cre ased loads ca n d amage the trailer- towin g tachment points on the ve hi cle.
Neve r use adapter to inc rease the size of th e
hit ch r eceive r fr om inches to is heav ie r

Note
can use one of these adapte rs if required for the proper in stallation of bi cycle rack or
m ent s are m el. Wh en u sin g bicycle rack s or carri ers make sure that th e tailli ghts are n o t
bl ocke d.
Retrofitting a
Fig. 97 Dimensions ond ottochment points for ting o hitch.
first re ad and not e th e intr oductory information and h eed th e on page 152 .
V o lk sw age n rec
ommends hav in g the trai le r hit ch
r e trofit perf o rm ed b y an Volk swag en deale r o r authorized Volk s wa gen Servic e Facility
B efore driving
Note (continued)
use hitches that a re approved by for your vehicl e and
because cooli ng sys te m m od ification s or th e sta llation of heat shield s may be necessary.
Wh en re trofi tting
traile r hi tch, th e specified ta nce dimensions must be stri ctly adhered to. Under no circums ta nces m ay the distance f ro m
th e road to the center o f the hitch fig. 97 be le ss than th e s pecifi ed min im um. Thi s imum height must be present ev e n whe n the hi cle is full y load ed and subje ct to the maximum tongue weigh
D istance fig. 97:
32.5 inch es (825 mm)
in ches ( 52 1 mm)
inc hes (315 mm )
atleast2 .6 in ches (6 5 mm)
13.8-16.5 inches mm)
in ches
Imprope r or incorrect elec tri cal connection s
ca n cause malfunction s that affect th e e ntire hicl e elec tri cal sys te m and cau se acc id e nt s and serio us perso na l injury.
Neve r connect th e e lectrical syste m of the
trailer directly to the e lec trical connectio ns of the rear light s or oth er unsuitabl e power sources . U se only v ide po w er t o th e trailer.
H ave a ny trailer hit ch r etrofit or other work on a trailer hit ch don e by an authorized swage n deal er or authorize d Volkswage n
An improperly in stalled or uns uitable trailer hitcl1 can cause th e trai le r to separate fro m the
towing vehicl e and result in major accident with serious perso nal injuries.

use trailer hitches that are approved b y Volkswage n for your ve hicl e and
Maximum weigh t
first read and note th e introductory informat io n and heed the on page 152.
Maximum permissibl e trailer
lbs.
weights
Automatic trans-mission
Trailer with _a)
Trailer with out brak e -
Tongue weight _a)
lnfonnation not a vailabl e at tim e of printing.
The gross ve hicle weight ratin g and the gross axle
we ight
pliance label on th e d rive r fr ont door pill ar. The
label can be seen when the door i s traile r is towe d, th e we ight of the ball mount and th e to ng ue we ight of the trail er are
ad ded to th e ve hicle weigh t
The trailer we ight
for
eve ry m ) of additi onal alt itu de.
T ransporting k
g
Manual trans-Automatic Manual trans-missio n transmission m ission
_a) 454
_a)
Exceeding the maximum permissi ble trailer and tongue we ight s can cause accidents and seriou s personal injury.
Never le t the actual weight at the front or rear forthat axle. Never le t the combined fr ont and rear
weight s exceed the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating.
Note
Exceeding the gross weight ratin gs can cause tensive ve h icl e damage that i s not co ve re d b y the manufacturer's
158 159