air condition VOLKSWAGEN GOLF PLUS 2012 User Guide

Always make sure that the statu s signaled
b y the BAG light is correct
for the way that the front passenger seat is bein g
u sed.
The fine dust c reated when airbags deploy can cause breathing problems for people with asthma or other breathing conditions .
To reduce the risk of breathing probl ems , those wit h asthma or tion s should get fres h air right away by getting
o ut of th e ve hicl e or opening windows or doors.
If yo u are in a c ollision in which airbags de­
ploy, wash your hands and face with mild soap and wate r b efor e eating.
Be careful not to get the dust int o your eye s, or int o any cut s or sc ratch es.
If the residue should ge t into your eyes, them with water.
Airbags that have deployed in a cras h must
b e replac ed.
Use only original equipment airbag s appro­
ved by Volkswagen and installed by a train ed
technician who has the necessary tools and diagnosti c equipment to properl y re plac e any airbag on your veh icle and assure sys te m eff ec­
ti ve ness in a cra sh.
Neve r pe rmit salvage d or recy cled airb ags t o
be install ed in your vehicle .
Advanced Airbag System components
first re a d and note th e introductory information and heed the
on pag e
vehicles equipped with the Adva nced Airbag Syste m , th e front passe nge r seat contains a who le
array of important Advanced Airbag compo nents
page 82. Be­cause the front passe nger seat contains important Advanced Airbag System components. you must
take ca re to prevent it from bein g damaged . Damage to th e sea t may pre vent the Adva nced Airbag Syste m for the front passenger sea t from
doing its job in a cras h.
S ittin g properly ond solely
Alwa ys hold the s teering wheel with hands on outsid e of th e steerin g wheel rim at the 9 o 'clock and 3 o'clock positions to help re­
duce
Neve r hold the steeri ng wheel at the 12 o'clock position or with your hands anywhere
inside
s ioner s are cla ssified as Material -special handlin g ma y apply.
applicable legal requir ements when
scra pping the vehicle or o f it s restraint sys tem, including airbag modules and safe ty belts
wit h pretensioner s. Auth orized Volkswage n
dealers and authorized Volksw agen Serv ice ties are familiar with the require ments, an d we rec­
ommend that you have them p erform this serv ice for
The front Advanced Airbag System also includes:
sensors in the front of th e ve hicl e th at
m eas ure vehicle acce lera tion and dece leration to
p rovide informat io n to th e Advan ced Airb ag
System about the seve rity o f a crash.
An elec troni c co ntrol unit, with int egra ted
cras h sensors for front and sid e im pac ts. The con­
trol unit w heth er or n ot to fire just the front air bag s ba sed on the information received
from the crash sen so rs. Th e control unit also whether the safety belt pre te n si oners
s hould be activate d.
A n Adva nced Air b ag. with gas genera tor, ins id e the steering wheel hub for th e driver.
An Adva nced Airbag. with ga s gene rator, in sid e the ins trum ent pan e l for th e front passe nger.
A we ig ht-sen sing mat unde r the upho ls tery paddin g of th e front passenge r seat cushion that
m eas ures the to tal weight on the sear. The infor­
m atio n regi stered is sent co nti nuo usly to the elec-
92 93

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

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

Efficient driving
Please information and heed the on page 198.
Shifting faster
As a rule, the following applies: The higher gear is
a lways the more efficient gear. The rule of thumb for most vehicles is to drive in 3rd gear at mph f km/h, 4th gear at 25 mph f km/h, and 5th gear at mph f km /h.
If
and driving conditions permit, gears when upshifting also saves fuel.
Do
not run the gears up to their limit.
mati c transmissions .
Vehicles with gear recommendation aid in fuel fic ient dri ving by indicating the optimum time to shift gears.
livery to the engine is interrupted, which lowers
fuel consumption.
T herefore, when nearing a red stop light , for s tanc e, allow the vehicle to coast without using the accelera tor. Press the clutch pedal and release it only if the v ehicle is moving too slowly or the coasting distance is too long. The engine will then continue to run at idl e.
In situati ons
where the vehicle will be stopped for
a longer period of time, such as at a train cros sing,
physically switch off the engin e.
D efens ive driving
and with traffic
Fre
quent braking and accel eration increases fuel consumption sign ific antly. Just by driving sivel y and keeping a su fficiently large distance away fro m the vehicle in front of you can make up for the speed fluctuation s caused by taking your foot off the accelerator. Active braking and ating is then not necessarily required.
system information
The power stee ring syste m i s not hydrauli c.lt is an electro-mechanical syste m. The advantage of this
s te ering system is tha t no hydra uli c hoses, draulic oil, pumps, filters or other parts are quired . Th e e lectro-m echanica l system is more fue l effi cient. A hydraulic system requires constant oil pressure in the syste m; an electro -mechanical
s teerin g sys tem, however, needs power only whil e
s teering.
Th e el
ectro-mechanical power steering
chanical power steering works only when the gin e is running.
and smooth driving
Consistency is more important than speed. The more smoothly yo u drive, the less fuel the vehicle consumes.
When driving on the highwa y or freeway, a
stantly accelerating and braking. you can r each your destinatio n just as quickly by driving at a moderate, but steady speed.
The c rui se control syste m can a ssis t in
sciou s manner.
Some dev ices can increase fuel consumption when activated (examples):
C limate control air conditioning system:
trasting temperatures, it requires a large amount of energy, which is generated by the e ngin e. T he
tr emely different from that of the outside
windows increase fuel consumption.
Switch off seat heating once it has served its
purpose.
Sw itch off the windshield and rear window
Malfunctioning engine control.
Driving in the mountains.
Towing a trailer .
page 257
Towing and page 357
Turning the steering wheel is very hard when the power steering system is not working. This makes it harder to control the vehicle.
steering works only when the engine is running.
Never let the vehicle coast with the engine switched off.
Never remove the key from the ignition
switch while the vehicle is moving or rolling to a
stop. The steering column will lock and you will be unable to control the vehicle.

Driver assistance systems
Starting assistance systems
Introduction
In thi s section find informatio n on th e lowing :
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
More informat ion:
Volkswagen Info rmation page 21
Brak ing, s topping and
Vehicl e page 257
Tires and
accesso ries, repairs and modifica tions page 303
p age 353
The intelligent technolo gy of the dynamic starting assis ta nce features cannot overcome t11e laws of physics. Never let th e increa se d
Uni ntended veh icle move ment ca n cause rious personal inju ry.
driving
The dynamic s tarting assistance f eatures are no s ub stitute for carefu l and att ent ive driving. Alwa ys adapt your sp ee d and driving s tyle to
v isi bilit y, weather, ro ad, and condition s. The dynamic start ing assistance features can not keep the vehicl e fro m moving in all hillstart situations (fo r exa mple, if the ground is
s lippe ry or icy). Unint ended vehicle movement ca n cause seriou s personal injury. Neve r activate the throttle m anually from the e ngine compartment whe n the e ngin e is running and th e automatic tra nsmission is in gea r. T he vehicle will start to m ove as soo n as the en gine speed in creases , eve n if th e brake is o n.

In thi s section you'll find information on th e fol­lowi ng:
C o
ntrols ................................... .
Heating system operation
Air conditioner operation .. .................. .
Air vents .... .............................. .
Air recirculotion
and
228
23 1
232
232
ve hicle is equipped e ith er with a Climatic cli­
mate co ntrol system or with a Climatronic cli­mate co ntrol sys tem. ve hicles w ith tron ic clim ate co ntrol, syste m statu s m ess ages will appear
Volkswa gen Informa tion page
Windshi eld w iper and pag e
Exterior care an d page 262
increases th e risk of and other acci de nt s that cause seri ous pe rso nal in­
jurie s.
Always make sure all win dow s are clea r of ice , s now and condensa tion fo r good visibil ity to the front, si des, and rear.
Maximum heatin g output and defrost ing
w ill only be possi ble after th e engine yo u
h ave good visibili ty before driving off.
Alwa ys make sure yo u know how to properl y
u se t he heating and ve ntilation syste m s as well as the rear window defogger that yo u will nee d
for goo d visibility.
While driving
Neve r use air recircu lation for lo ng peri ods of time. W hen the air conditioner is off and r ecir­culation mode is on, co ndensation ca n qui ckly
form on th e windows an d great ly reduce visi ­
bility.
A lways switch off reci rculati on mode w he n it
i s not n eeded.
air causes d ri ve r fatigu e and reduces drive r alertness, w hich can cause accidents, collisions and seriou s personal injury.
Never swi tc h off the fa n for a lo ng pe riod of lim e and never use air reci rc ulation a lo ng pe ­
r iod of time because no fresh air will co me into
th e passe nger compartment.
Note
th e a ir conditioner
checked by an authorize d Volk swage n dealer or authorized Volkswage n Servic e Facility.
Air conditi oner repair requires speciali zed
kn ow le d ge and special tool s. Volkswagen recom­
m ends that you sec an authorized Volkswagen
dealer or authorized Vol kswagen Service Facility.
Do no t smoke whe n air reci rc ulati on is
sw itched on. drawn int o th e ve ntilation
syste m can leave residue on th e e vaporator an d
on th e dust a n d pollen active carbon re­
su ltin g in permanent odors when ever the air con­
ditione r i s switched o n.
out side air no t b e dehumidified. To keep the windows from fogging over, Volk swage n rec­
omme nd s leavi ng th e air conditioner (co m­
pre sso r) switc hed on. button. The in-
dica tor light in the bunon mu st come on.

Air conditioner operation
information and heed the WAHNINGS on page 226.
The cooling syste m for the passenger compart­
ment o nl y functions when the engin e is running
and the fan is switched on.
The air conditioner is most efficient when the w in­dows an d the power sunroof are closed. However,
if th e vehicle is sta ti o nary and the passenger com­partment becomes very hot due to sunlight, opening the w indows briefly may speed up the cooling proce ss.
Keep
the a ir intake slot in front of the windshield
free of i ce, snow and lea ves in order to maintain proper funct ioning of the heating and ventilation systems.
Settings for optimal driving safety
When yo u sw itch on the cooling system, both the temperature and humidity in the vehicle are re­duced. Th is will help make passengers feel more comfo rtable and prevent windows from fogging
up.
For
Sw itch off a ir page 232.
fan to Ievell or 2.
T urn the temperature knob to t he center posi­
tion.
all air vents in the in strument panel page232 .
Turn the air distribution knob to the des ired settin g.
butto n to turn on the air conditioner. The indicator light illumin ate s in the button.
For
th e button.
temperature to +72
pa ge232.
Sw itching between Fahrenheit and Celsius in Cli­
matronic
The t empe ratu re disp lay is switched from to Fahrenheit and vice versa in the display of the factory- in stalled radio or naviga tion system via the in strument cluster page
control
H eating
Maximum heating output and fas t defrosting will
only be possib le a fte r the e ngin e has reached oper­ating tempe rature.
T he e ng in e is not running.
T he fan is switc hed off.
The a ir conditi one r fuse has blown.
The ambien t a ir temperature is colder than (+3
T he air condition er compresso r has been tem­
porarily switched off due to excess ive engin e coolant temperature.
The re is a nother malfunction in the ve hicle.
Ha ve the ai r conditioner checked by an authorize d
Volkswage n dealer or authorized Volkswage n Ser­
v ice Facility.
Special considerations
Whe n it is very hot and humid outside, water con­
d ensation can drip from the air condition er evap­orator and form
The air condit ioner takes a few minutes to reach the selected temperature in the pas­senger compartment.
Due to residual m oisture in the air condi ­tione r, th e windshi eld may fog up after the
engi ne is s tarted.
23 1

In air rec irculati on mod e, out sid e air is pre vente d
from ent
erin g the ve hicle inte rior.
In very hot or co ld out sid e t
emperature s, rarily sw itch to manual a ir recircula tion in orde r to cool o r heat th e ve hicle interior faster.
For safet y re aso ns, air recircu latio n is switch ed off when
and heating system
th e button repeated ly until the
indi cator ligh t in the button illumin ates.
the button re peatedly until the
indi cator light in the button switche s off.
Switching air recirculation on and off
the button re peatedly the left indi cato r light in the butto n iUuminates.
Swirclzin goff. the buHon repeatedly th e
i n d icato r ligh t in th e butto n swit ches off.
Functioning of the automated air recirculation
sett ing, fresh air ent ers the p assen ger compartment. If th e sys te m detects an in crease d
co ncentrat ion in the out side air, it automatically switches to air recirc ulation. As soon
a s th e po llut an t leve l is bac k in th e no rmal range,
air recirculati o n is switc h ed off .
Unpl
easa nt od ors can no t be detected by th e
sys tem.
A ir rec ir c ulati on i s n
ot automatically activated under th e followin g o utside tempe ratures and conditi ons:
The coo ling sys te m i s activa te d (indicato r light
in butt on is illum inated) an d th e ambient
air temperature is coo ler than ( +3 oc ).
The co oling sys te m and the w in dshie ld wipe r
are switc h ed off, and the ambien t a ir temperature
i s coo le r th an
Th e cooling sys te m i s switched th e am bient
a ir temperature is c oole r th a n +59 and
th e w indshi eld wip er is switched on.
Switching air recircu lation on and off
button repeatedly
until the rig ht ind icator light in th e button co mes on.
off. button re peate dl y
u ntil no indicat or light in the button is on.
Temporarily deactivating automatic air
butt on once to switch to m anual
a ir recirculatio n t emporarily in the event of
buH on aga in afte r more than two
seco nds to resume auto matic ai r recir cul atio n.
air ca uses driver fatigue and reduces dri ver
a lertness, which can cause accidents, collisions and serious personal injury.
Neve r use air recirculation mode over an tende d p eriod of lime, since no fre sh air will
e nt er the passen ge r compartment.
When the air conditioner is off and tion mode is condensat ion can quickly form on th e w indows and greatly reduce visibility.
Alwa ys sw itc h off recirculation mode when it
i s not needed.
Note
Do not smoke w hen air re circulation is switc hed draw n into the ventilation syste m can le ave residue on tl1e evaporator and on the dust and poll en acti ve carbon filter , resulting in mane nt odors wheneve r the air conditioner is switched
W hen driv in g in reverse and w hil e th e mati c wipe r/washer is op erating, air latio n is bri efly act ivate d so exh au st fumes canno t ge t into th e passenger
232 233

the safety
inforrnation and heed th e on page
a safety belt is dirty, thi s ca n p reve nt the belt from working properly. Keep safe ty belt s clean and regularly check all safe ty belts for damage.
belt s must n eve r be taken apart for cleani ng.
Remove coarse dirt with a
pull the dirt y safety belt o ut of tractor and keep it out.
cleaning, always the safety belt s tim e
to dry th orough ly before letting them retract. Thi s
help s prevent damage to the retrac tor.
Do not le t th e safety belts retract until th ey are completely dry .
the condition of all safe ty belts regularly . If you notice that th e belt webbing, hardware,
r e tractor , buckle, or any oth er part of the safe ty
belts is damaged, immedia te ly have an rized Volk swage n dealer or authorized swage n Facility replace the sa fe ty belt
w it h the correc t rep lacement belt for your hicle model and m od el year. Damage to safe ty belts reduces thei r overall eff ec tiveness and
Neve r usc chemical cleaning agents, vent s,
jects. Otherwise, the belt webb ing be icantly weakene d.
M te r cleaning, always give the safety belts
ti me to dry comp le tel y before lett ing them trac t. The moi sture can damage the retrac to r
and keep it from workin g pro perly.
Neve r let fore ign objec ts or liquid s get into
th e sa fe ty belt latch. This could preve nt th e belt
bu ckles
and safe ty belts from working prop erly.
Damaged safety belts must be replaced;
they can no t be repaired.
Never try to repair a damaged safety bel t yourse lf. Never remove or modify the safety belt s in anyway.
In sp ec t b elts reg ularl y for damage. If bing, binding s, buckles, or re tractor s are ged, have the belts rep laced immediately lvith
the correct replacement belts approved by wagen for your vehicl e, model, and model year.
H e placement after a cras h may be necessary
even if a safety belt show s no visib le damage.
Anch orages that have been loaded must also be in spected
275

Curb weight
The weight of a motor vehicle with
standard equipment including the
maximum capacity of fuel, oil, and
coolant, air conditioner, and addi­
tional weight
of optional equip­
ment.
Extra load tire
A tire designed to operate at higher
lo
ads and at higher inflation pres­
sures than the corresponding stan­
dard tire.
Gross Axle Weight Rating
(GAWR)
The load-carryin g capacity of a
single axle system, measured
where the tire contacts the ground.
Gross
The maximum loaded weight of
the vehicle.
Groove
The space between two adjacent
tread rib s.
Load rating (code)
The maximum load that a tir e is
rated to carry for a given inflation
pressure.
You may not find this in­
formation on all tires because it is
not required by law.
Maximum load rating
The load rating for a tire at the
maximum permissible inflation
pressure for
that tire.
Maximum loaded vehicle weight
The total of:
Curb weight
Accessory weight
Vehicle capacity weight
Production options weight
Maximum (permissible) inflation
pressure
The maximum cold inflation
pressure
to whic h a tire may be
inflated.
Also ca lled
inflation
Normal occupant weight
Means 150 lbs (68 kilograms) times
the number of occupants seated in
the veh icle
up to the total seating
capacity
of your vehicle.
Occupant distribution
The placement of passengers in a
veh icle.
pounds or less.
Ply
A layer of rubber- coated parallel
cords.
Ply separation
A parting of rubber compound bet-
ween adjacent plies.
296 297