Break VOLKSWAGEN GOLF PLUS 2012 User Guide

Always make sure nothing is in the front air­bag deploym ent zone that could be struck by the airbag when it inflates.
Never hold things or on your lap when the vehicle is in use.
Never place accesso ries or other objects
(such as cup holders, tel ephone brackets, note pads, navigation systems, or things that are large, heavy, or bulky) on the doors; never at­tach them to the doors or the windshield; never place th em over or near or attach them to the area marked
fig. 59 or 91, fig.
Never attach objects to the windshield above the passenger front airbag, such as accessory navigation units or music player s.
Never recline th e front passenger seat to transport objects. can also move into the deployment area of the side airbags or the front airbag during breaking or in a sudden maneu­ver. near th e a irbags can fly dangerously through the pass enger compartment and cause injury, particularly when the seat is reclined and the airbags inflate.
Always make sure that there is nothing on the front passe nger seat that will cause the weight­sensing mat in the scat to signal to theAirbag that the scat is occupied by a person when it i s not, or to signal that it is occupied by someone who is heav ie r than the person actually
sitting on th e sca t. The weight of th e object could cause the passenger front airbag to be turned on when it should be off, or could cause the airbag to work in a way that is differ ent from the way it
would have worked without the added weight.
Alwa ys make sure that nothing is on the front passenger seat when the backrest is folded
forward. Even light objec ts could be pushed into the seat cu shi on and cause th e weight-sensing mat in the seat to re gister enough weight to turn the airbag on.
Never usc solvents or cleaners on the steering wheel horn pad or instrument panel, because they can damage the
Before driving
airbag cover or change the stiffne ss or strength of the material so that the airbag cannot deploy and protect properly. When cleaning the hom pad and instrumen t p anel, use only a soft, dry cloth or a cloth moist en ed
with plain water.
A front seat passenger, especially an infant or small child, will be seriously injured and could
eve n be killed if he or she is
Although the Advanced Airbag has been designed to switch off when an infant or child is on the front passenger seat in a child seat that was used during the certification
process for the Advanced Airbag no one can guarantee with absolute certainty that the airbag never deploy under these particular conditions in all conceivable situations for the duration of the vehicle 's use.
For their own safety, all children, especially those 12 years and younger, mus t always sit on the back seat, properly restrained for their age and size.
Facility. A lit indicator light means the airbag may not work properly if
activated in a crash.

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

In thi s sect io n yo u'll find inform ation on the lowing:
Cup holde r in the front center console ......... .
Cup holder in the rear center .. .... ... . .
Cup holder in the rear center armres t
Bottle holders
There are bottle holders in the open ments in th e dri ver and passe nger doors.
More information:
p age 270
166
167
167
Improper use of cup holders can cause injuries.
Never put hot drin ks in the cup holders. During normal or sudden maneuve rs, sudden braking or in a hot liquid can be and cause burns !
Make certain that bottles or other items
cannot fall into the d.river's footweU while the ve hicl e is moving and interf e re with the ment of the p edals.
Fig. the fron t cen ter console: Cup holder, type A.
fir st read and no te th e introductory inform ation and heed the o n pag e
Different cup ho ld e r models are available for the
from cen ter co n so le.
B efo re driving
Never put heavy cups, food or oth er h ea vy
it em s in the cu ph olders. H eavy items can fly through the passenger compa.rtment in a crash and cause serious injury .
Hot
or freezing temperatures in the passenger compartment can cause closed bottles to plode or break.
Never leave closed bottles a very hot or co ld
ve hicl e.
Note
Do not leave open drinks in the cu p holder the vehicle is moving. The drinks can and damage the ve hicl e, including the e lectrical system.
The cup ho ld er in se rts ca n be re m ove d for cleaning.
Fig.
slid e th e lid on th e center co nsole fo rwa rd
To close, slide th e lid back.

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.

Fuel-efficient driving
Fig. 131 Fuel consumption in ferent ambient air temperatures .
info rmation and heed the on page 198.
Dri vin g defensive ly and economically can easily
r educe fuel con sumption by to 15 % .
The ve hicle consu mes the most fu el w he n atin g. D efe nsive dri vin g require s less brakin g and therefore less accelerat ion. If possib le, coast the ve hicle to a sto p, for exa mple, when yo u ca n see th a t th e next traffic ligh t is red or is about to turn
red.
Avoid traveling short distanc
es
A cold engine consumes sig nificantl y more fuel
imm ediately after sta rtin g. It take s a few miles fore the engi ne is warm ed up and fuel tion i s stabili zed.
To reduce fuel consumptio n and the emission of pollutants effect ive ly, the e ng in e and ca talytic
conve rter must reach th eir optimal operating
ica l in thi s context.
fig. 13 1 displays the v a ry ing fuel consumption rates
for the same d istance dri ven, once at +68 and once at + 14
th e e ngin e run to warm is not o nl y lega l in some co untries, but also technicall y not
n ecessary and wastes fu el.
Adjust the tire pres sure
T he prop er tir e
pressure help s reduce rollin g tance as well as fue l co nsumption. In additi on ,
slig htl y higher tire pressure(+ 3 psi I+ bar) ca n
h e lp save fuel.
If you ca n a ccept a slight los s in comfort, the ommend ed tir e pressure for a fully loade d ve hicl e
ca n be used. This als o applies to so litary dri vin g and driv ing withou t lu ggage loa ds.
When purchasing new t ires, alway s ma ke sure th at
th e tires are optimi zed for lower rollin g resis tance.
Us e low viscosity engine oil
F ull y sy nth e
tic, low viscosity e ngine oils reduce
fuel consumption. Low viscosity e ngin e oils duce the fric tional res istance on th e engine and are dis tributed m ore evenly and qui ckly, larly w hen co ld -s tarting the engine. The effect is parti c ularl y apparent in vehicles th at frequentl y
tra vel s hort dis tan ces.
A lways ens
ure th e righ t e n g in e oil leve l is ta in ed and keep to the sc h edul ed serv ice interva ls
(e ng ine oil ch an ges).
W
hen purch asing e ngine oil, always ch eck th e Volksw agen en gine oil standard and approval.
Avoid unnecessary weight
The lighter th e ve hicl e, th e more economica l and ceo-friend ly it w ill be. For in stance, an extra
H e m ove
consum e. Aftermark et co mponents s uch as
ro of or b icycle racks dimin is h its aerod yn a m ic fonnan ce.
Th erefo re, re
mov e un necessary aftermark e t ponents and unused rac k systems, parti cul arly if ....... -
fir st read and note th e introductory informa tion and h ee d th e WAHNINGS page
response
Ha ve the power stee rin g sys te m ch ec ked ste eri ng failure. mediatel y by an authori zed Volk swag en deale r
o r a n authorized Volk swagen
Fac ility. steeri ng ass is t i s reduced. re start the e n gine, and dri ve a sh ort tan ce. If th e yello w warning light does not
c o m e on again, you do not need to have th e
s te ering syste m ch ec ke d .
Vehicle battery was di sconnected and has Drive a short distan ce at 12 mph been reconnec te d . km/h).
F lashes re sponse
Elec troni c steering column lo ck malfunc -
which m ay appea r in the in strument clu ste r
di sp lay. loc ke d.
W
hen the i g nit ion is switc h ed on, seve ra l wa rnin g and indicator lights come on bri efly for a f un ction ch e ck . T hey go out after a few seconds.
Failure to
heed warning light s and in strument cluster text m essages can cause th e vehicl e to break down in t raffic and result in a collisio n and seriou s personal injury.
Neve r igno re warning lights or tex t
Do not dri ve if th e s teerin g co lumn remains
l ocke d switch in g th e ig niti on on aga in.
Ge t expert assis ta nce.
Alwa ys sto p the vehicl e as soon as it is safe to do so .
Note
Failur e to heed warning lights or tex t WARNINGS can res ult in vehicl e damage

Warning and indicator lights
-
. .
r
Fig. 139 the instrument display : Cruise contro l status displays.
on p age 214.
Light s up Possible cause
139
control is regulating the speed.
When th e ign ition is switched on, seve ral warning
a nd indic ator light s come on briefly for a function
c h eck. They go out after few seconds.
Disp lay
Diffe rent c rui se control versions are available. vehicles wi th a multi-fun ction dis p lay, the sto red
s p eed is s hown in the in strum en t cluste r display.
139
control temporarily deactivated. di sp lay size fo r stored sp ee d.
ma lfunctio n. Take th e ve hicle to a n au ­
thori zed Volkswagen dealer or authorize d Volkswage n Service Facility.
contro l ac tivated. No speed sto red in
memory .
control i s active. Large display size for
s tored speed.
Drive r assistanc e sys tems
off cruise con trol. Take th e vehicl e to
a n authorized Volkswage n deal er or a u th o-
ri ze d Volkswage n Serv ice Facility.
Failure to hee d warnin g lights and in strument clu ster text message s ca n cause the vehicl e to breakdown in traffic and result in collision and seriou s personal injury.
Neve r ignore warning lights or tex t WARN­
Alway s stop it is sa fe to do so.
Note
Failure to heed warning can result in ve hicle

Always disconnect the batt ery (or teries, where appli cable). Make sure the hicle is unlocked when you disconnect the battery, or th e alarm w ill go off. Never touch the electrica l w irin g of the ign ition sys te m .
Neve r smoke.
Never work near heaters, water heaters, or other open flames.
Always have a functional, approved fire tinguisher nearby.
Warning
Note
W hen c
hangin g or topping off fluid s, make sure that you pour the fluids into the correct voirs. Addin g incorrect fluids will cause serious
malfunc tions and engine damage!
Fluid leaks are harmfu l to the environm ent.
thori zed Volkswagen dealer or authori zed swagen Serv ice Faci lity. Dispose of le aked at ing fluid s
first read and note the in tr o du ctory informat io n and heed th e on p age 242.
Lights ca use up
Engine hood not proper ly closed.
When the ignition is sw
itched on, several warning
a nd in dicator light s co me on bri efly fo r a functio n
c h eck. They go out after a few seconds.
If th e engi ne hood is open or not clos
ed properly,
the following warning light comes on in the ment cluster:
tions , a sy mbol showing th at the hood is not erly clo sed may appea r in th e in stru ment clu ste r
di splay instead of the warnin g light . Th e light or sy mbo l will als o com e o n whe n th e ig nition is swit ched off. T he di splay goe s out about
Core,
response
Close the eng ine hood.
I S seconds
after the vehicle has been locked with
the doors closed.
Failure to heed warning lights and instrument cluster text messages can cause the vehicle to
break down in traffic and res ult in a co llision and se riou s personal injury.
Never ignore warning lights or text
Always stop the vehicle as soo n as it is safe to do

Failure to heed warning lights and instrument cluster text messages can cause ve hicl e to break down in traffi c and result in a collision and serious perso nal injury .
Never ignore warning lights or text WARN­INGS.
Eng ine
first read and not e the introductory information and h eed the on page 247.
The engine oil used must conform to exact specifi­cations.
U sin g
the prop er engin e oil is import an t for th e
fun ctionality and serv ice life of th e engine. Your engin e was factory-filled with a hi gh-qualit y
multi -gr ad e oil which can usuall y be used
t h roughout the entire ye ar.
Your engine was factory
-fille d with a hi gh -quality, all-season e ng in e oil that meets stric t Volkswagen oil quality standards and has a vis­grad e ofSAE You can use this oil for normal d riv in g in temperatures.
D iesel engin es with diesel
diesel particulat e filt er
At the tim e thi s Manual was printed, the engine oils available in the U.S. that m eet these swage n standards oils. This does
not mean, however, that any engin e oil
will meet Volkswagen standard s. Always use an ap­proved oil that exp ress ly complies w ith the
Core,
Always stop the veh icle as soon as it is safe to
d o so.
No te
Failure to heed warning lights or tex t WARNINGS can result in ve hicle
swagen oil qualit y standard th at applies to your ve­
hicle's e ngin e.
General recommendations:
If oi l th a t meets the applicab le swagcn oil quality standard w ith viscosity grade SAE or is no t availab le in your area,
b e sure to use viscosity g rad e suitabl e for the cl i­mate, sea so n, a nd operati ng conditions th at exi st where the vehicle is used. Make sure the oil meets
th e quality standard listed table on page 248.
Engine oils arc consta ntl y being improved. swa gen dea lers and Service Facilities are alway s regarding new deve lopments and chan ges. Volk s wagen therefore recommends that
yo u have the e ngin e oil changed by an authorized Volk swagen dealer or an author ized Volk swagen
Service Facility.
Note
If yo u need to add oil and there is none avail­
a bl e that meets th e Volkswagen oil quality stan­dard your en gi ne requires, you may add a to ta l of no more than 1/2 quart of a high-quality
or SAE
Us e only a high quality engine oil that ex­pressly complies with the Volkswagen oil standard specified fo r your ve hicle's engine. U si ng any o ther oil can cause serious engin e damage that will not be cove re d b y any swagen Limited Warranty.
Do not mix any lubricants or other additives
into the motor oil. Doing so can cause engine damage! Damage caused by these types of addi­tives are not covered by any Volkswagen Limited

Engine coo la nt
Introduction
In thi s section you'll find informat ion on the fol­lowing:
Warning
engine coolant and topping off . . . 255
Never do a ny wor k on the coo lant system unless
you
-know exactly ho w to carry out the job,
-have the correct tec hnical informa tion and
th e proper to ols, supplie s, and operating
fluid s, a nd
-are familiar with the necessary safet y
pr eca utions
Traile r page 152
fo r work ing in the e ngine com­partment page 242
Part s, acce ssories , re pair s and modification s
Engin e coo lant is poisonous!
Always keep the coolant in its origi nal con­
t ainer stored in a safe place .
To reduce the risk of poisoning, never store engine coolant in empty food or beverag e con­tainers or in any other containers that might mislead someone into drinking from them.
Always keep engine coolant out of reach of c hildr en.
Alway s make sure there is enough of tJ1e cor­
re ct coo lant additive to provid e proper anti­
fr eeze protection at the cold es t temperatures that can be expected where the vehicle will be used .
At extremely cold temperatures, the coolant could freeze, causing the vehicle to break down.
The heater would also not work, and vehicle oc­
cupants could be without protection at sub­freezing temperatures.
leaking operat ing
fluids and dispose of t h e m properly in acco rdance
w ith applicable environmental laws and regulat ion s .
Warning light and engine coolant temperature gauge
Fig . 153 E ngine coolant temperature gauge in the in­str umen t Engi ne cold;® Normal tempera­ture range;© Warn ing zone.
Core, maintenance
first read and note th e introduct ory information and heed th e on page 252.
normal driving conditi ons, th e needle
s h o uld be in the middl e of th e ga uge. The temper­
ature may go high er w hen th e e ngine is w orking
h ard, espec iall y in hut
When the igni tion is sw itch ed on , seve ra l warnin g and indicator light s co me o n bri efly fo r a function
c h ec k. The y go our after a few seconds.
Th e fo
llow ing table explains w ha t t o do if th e en ­
gine coolant warn ing does no t go out a few secon ds after the engine is s tart ed or light s up or
s tart s fla sh ing while driving.