fuel VOLKSWAGEN GOLF PLUS 2012 User Guide

In this section yo u'll fin d information on th e
ke y p ositions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 4
Starter button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Sta rting the engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
S topping th e e ngine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Electro nic immobi lizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Explanatory no tes in thi s chapter regard
rec t S hift Gea rbox.
Immob i
lizer display
I f a n unauthori z
ed vehicle ke y is used or the
s y s te m malf un ctions, o r Immobiliz er activ e!
m ay appear on th e in strum ent cluster. The e ng in e cannot b e s tarte d.
P ush -starting
and tow-starting
F o r t ec hni cal re as
ons, never try to pus h -s ta rt or
stead w hil e following proper a nd safe proc edures.
Mor e information:
Vehicle key pag e 34
Shifting pag e
B raking, sto pping and page
pag e
234
Fuel page 23 9
E m erge ncy clo sing and page 322
353
Towing and page 357
W hile driv ing
Switch in g off the engin e whil e th e ve hicle is
m oving can m ake the ve hicl e harder to s top and re sult in loss of ve hicl e control,lcading to sion s and seve re personal injuri es.
Brake and steerin g assis ta n ce sys tem s, the
a irbag syste m, safety belt pretensione rs, and oth er vehicle safety features onl y wor k when the
e n gi ne is runni n g.
Sw itch off theengineon lyw he n th e vehicl e is
not m ov ing.
The ris k of serious injury ca n be reduced with
the e n g in e runnin g or when startin g the en gine .
To reduce th e risk of seriou s perso nal inju ry
w hen sta rling and running the ve hicle's en gi ne,
n eve r start the e ngine or le t it run in a confined or en clo se d area. Carbon an odorl ess and colorless poisonous gas, is one co mpone nt of en gine exhaust fumes . monoxide can cause loss of conscio usn ess and d ea th.
Never leave the ve hicle unattended with the
e ngin e running. Th e ve hicl e could move denly or a n unusu al operating condition could
occ ur res ult ing in property damage or personal
i njury.
Neve r usc assi st
The ve hicle exhau st s ys tem and th e ca ta ly tic
co nve rter or diese l particula te filter ge t very ho t
and ca n cause and seriou s perso nal injury .
Never park th e veh icle where the ho t ex haust
sys te m or cataly tic co nverte r could ignit e mable materials, su ch brus h , leaves, dry grass, spilled fuel, etc.

Never leave the vehicl e unattend ed w hil e th e e n­gin e is running . The ve hicle could move sud­
d enl y, es peci ally w hen th e vehicl e is in gear, re­
s ultin g in accide nts and personal injury.
assis t ca n ex plode and ca n
ca use a ve hicle condition.
Neve r u se
Note
Yo u can damage the s tarter o r vehicl e is still
mo vin g, or if you try to res ta rt
Not e (c onti nued)
Avoid high en gin e sp ee ds, full throttl e and heavy en gin e lo ads wh en th e eng in e is cold.
D o n ot push-sta rt or tow-start the ve hicl e. Un­
burne d fuel can ge t int o the cataly tic convert er
and damag e it.
Do not let yo ur vehicle warm up whil e sta nding; ins tead, sta rt driving right away
after makin g sure th at you have good vis ibil ity
t hrou g h all windows. This will he lp th e e ngin e
reach operating temperature fas ter an d keep down
emiss io ns.
Majo r consu mers of e lectricity are te mpo­rarily swi tc hed off when th e e ng in e is bei ng
s tarted .
After starting cold engin e, increased oper­ating nois es may be heard f or f ew seconds.
Thi s is no rmal and
firs t r ead an d note th e intro ductory in fo rm atio n an d heed th e page 172.
Pl
ease car ry out each ste p onl y in the order sp ecified .
Vehicl es with out
Bring th e veh icle to a co mplete
2. Depress an d hold down th e brake pedal until step 4 i s co mpleted.
3 . A uto matic tra nsm ission: Shif t the tra nsmiss io n in to Park (P).
4 .
Apply the parking page
pag e 175,
5. Turn th e vehicle key to pag e fig. 119. th e ignitio n sw itch. out the emergency sh ut -offproc edure
6. W ith a manual tra nsmiss ion, sh ift in to Ist gear (vehicle on fla t surfa ce or p ointing uphill ) or reve rse (vehicle pointing downhill ).
N ever turn off the e ngin e before th e ve hicle has come to
T he a irbags and safe ty belt prete nsio ners w ill not work when th e ig nition is swit ch ed off .
Starting, parking 176 177

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.

In thi s section yo u'll fin d information on th e lowing:
Effi cient driving style
Fuel-effici ent
driving
199
200
Fue l consumption, environmen ta l impa ct. a nd
wear and tear on engi ne, brak es and tires depend mainly on the following three factor s:
Your personal dri ving style.
Exte rnal condition s (weather, road tio n s).
While driving
Tec hnica l requir ements.
You can reduce fuel consumption by up to 25% by
u sing a few s impl e techniqu es and adjusting you r
driv ing sry le.
Always adjust your speed and the distance you
keep betwee n you and the vehi cles ahead of you to the road,

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.

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

At the gas station
Refueling
In this section yo u'll fin d information on the lowing:
Indicator lights and gouge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Refueling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . 237
Refueling checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
The fue l filler flap is located on the rear ri ght side of th e ve hicle.
More info rmation:
Fuel page 239
Preparations for work ing in the engine page 242
Improp er refuel in g or ha ndl in g of fue l can ca use fire, explosion, an d severe burns.
Always m ake sure that the fuel tank cap is
screwed on all the way. This help s keep fu el from spillin g out or evapora ting.
Fuel is highly flammable and explosive ; it can cause severe burns and other seve re ries.
Failure to shut the e ngine off while refueling and/or to in se rt the pump nozz le into the vehicl e's filler n eck can cause fu e l overflow and fue l spray. Fuel spray and overflowing fuel are dangerous beca use they can ca use fire or seriou s
injury.
Durin g refuelin g, the e ngine, an d th e ti on must be swi tc hed off for safety reasons.
Never use a cell ular te leph one, radio, or other radio eq uipment while refueli ng. The
fire.
While driving
Neve r get back into your veh icle while eling . If in exce ptiona l circumstan ces you must
ge t back in your ve hicl e while refue ling, make cert ain that you close th e door and touch metal
to disc harge static electricity before touching the filler nozzle again. This helps avoid the buildup of stati c elec tricity , w hich can cause sparks that can ig nit e fuel vapors re leased during refueling .
Never smoke or have an open flam e (or
sparks, ciga re tt es, or oth er sm old erin g obj ects)
anywhere in or your vehicle when refueling
o r
Avoid elec trostatic discharge and
safety instructions and procedures that apply a t th e service statio n whe re yo u fuel.
Never spill fuel in the ve hicl e or the luggage compartment.
For safety
or empty, may leak and could cause a fire,
under exce ption al cir cumstances, yo u must tmnspo rt a po rt able fuel contain er, please observe the following:
- Neve r
fill a portable fuel container while it
i s anywhere in or o n the ve hicl e (for example,
i n the luggage compartment). tri city ca n build up while filling and can

-Alwa ys keep the
help vent stati c electricity from discharg in g and causin g a fire.
- Alwa ys
obey cial law s regardi ng the use, sto ra ge, and transportation of po rt able fuel containers.
- Make certain that the portabl e
fuel tainer meets industry standards, such as F852- 86.
Note
Re mov e fuel from the paint immediatel y
to help prevent damage to the pai nt, tir es, and whe el housin gs.
and
fu el gauge.
At th e
gas st ation
Refueling with gasoline whe n your vehicle has
a diesel en gine or refue ling with diese l fu e l when your vehicle has a ga so lin e e ng ine can ca use very
se riou s and expensive engin e and fuel system damage that is not covered by any Volkswage n
Limit ed Warranty. If yo u put any am ount of rect fuel in t11c fuel tank , do no t start the e ngine under a ny circumstances. This applies no matter how little of the wrong fuel has go tten into the fuel
t a nk. Immediately contact the n ea rest authorized
Volk swagen deale r o r authorized Volk swage n vice Facility for assistance. These fuels contains
s ub stan ces that severe ly damage the f uel
system and the engine if the engine is s tart ed.
V e hicl es with dies el eng ines must never be fueled or driven with gasoline, kerosene, heating
oi l, or other non-s pecified fue ls that have not bee n ex pre ssly approved for usc with the di ese l
engine. Other kind s of fuel will cause seriou s
d amage to th e fuel sys te m and th e engine tJ1at is not cove re d by a ny Volk swagen Limited Warranty.
Fu e ls can pollut e th e environment. fu el must be collected and disposed of erly , f ollow ing appli cable environmental latio ns.
Th ere is no em ergency re lease fo r the fuel filler n ap. an authori zed Volkswagen
dealer or aULh orized Volkswage n Facility
for assistance .
234 235

information and heed the WAHNINGS on page 234.
Lights
up Indicator pos itio n response 235, fig. 147
Hunning on reserve-
Fu el tank cap not pro perly closed. properly.
When the ignition is switched
a few seconds.
Fuel tank cap not properly
indicator ligh t comes on or if yo u see a tex t m essage to the same effec t in the in stru­ment clu ste r d is play , stop the ve hicl e in a safe
p lace and switch ofT the en g ine and the ig n ition.
might remain even tho ugh the fu el t ank cap is properl y closed. This is no rm al and n o re ason to take your vehicl e in for se rvic e.
however, th e m alfun ctio n indicator light driv e to yo ur neares t authorized swagen dealer or authorize d Volkswage n Serv ice Facility and have fuel sys tem and the engine checked.
While driving
Driving with a fu el tank that is almost empty can
lead t o s tallin g in traffic, a co llisio n, and seriou s
p ersonal injuries.
W hen the fu el t ank is almost empty, fuel
supply to the engine can b e interrupted, espe­ciall y w he n driving up and d ow n hill s.
Steerin g and braking assist ance a s we ll as and re lated syste ms w ill not work if the en ­
gine or s talls due to lack of fuel.
Always refuel w hen the tank is 1/4 full to re ­duce the risk of sta ll in g in traffic due to lack of fuel.
Note
----------------------~ Failure to heed warning lights or t ext WARN-can result in veh icle damage.
Never drive until the fuel tank i s com ple te ly
empty. The irregula r fu el supply can cause the e n­gine to misfire. This allows unburned fuel t o ge t into the exhau st syste m and damage the cata lyti c
co nverter or the diesel p arti culate filt er.
The small next to the gas pump symbol in the fuel page fig. shows
th e sid e of the ve hicl e w ith the fuel filler flap.

Fig. 148 Fuel tank cap placed on the ope n fue l
Please first read and note the introductory information and heed th e on page 234.
Before refueling, always switch off the eng in e, the
i gnition , a n all cell phones, and leave the m
switc h ed off until refue lin g is complete.
Opening th e fuel tank cop
The fuel filler flap is loca ted at t h e rear of the ve hicl e on the rig ht.
Pr ess on the rear area of th e fu el fille r flap and fo ld open.
flap
capacities
Refueling
Th e correct fu e l grade for your ve hicle is lis te d on a page 239.
The fue l tank is w he n the automatic filler
no zzle pump switche s off the first
Do not t ry to add fu el afte r the pump stops!
Topping off the tank in thi s way may ftll the expan­
s ion space that the tank need s and cause fuel to
ov erfl ow, fo r insta nce, if it gets warmer outsid e.
C lo sing the fuel tank cop
onto the fuel filler n eck until it audibl y enga ges.
th e fu el fille r flap until it aud ib ly e nga ges.
T he fuel filler flap must be flu sh with the ve hicle
body.
refu elin g once the pump nozzle switch es
off. you could
Note
Remov e fu el sp ill s from the paint immediately to
h e lp prevent damage to the paint, tires, and wheel hou sing s.
P lease firs t rea d and no te the introduc tory inform ation and heed the on page 234.
F u e l t a
nk capaci ty
A
bout liters ),
i nclud ing about (2 gallons) re se rve . Gaso line and diesel e n g ines
A t th e gas station 236 237