oil VOLKSWAGEN GOLF PLUS 2012 User Guide

Switching
the center console: Button to with
Please fir st read and no te the introductory informatio n and heed the on page
The Electronic Stabili zation Program
cludes
can b e switched off by fig. (ASR fig. 129 whil e th e engi ne is running.
B rake
ervoir cop.
Please fir st r ead and note the introductory information and heed the on page 188.
Brake fluid
absorbs wate r from the air over time. Too much water in the brake fluid will damage the brake system. Wa te r a lso lowers th e boiling point o f the brake fluid. Too much wate r in the brake
fluid can cause vapor lock during heavy brake use
Whi le driving
Fig. 12 9 the center console: Button to switc h function on and without
off only in situations w here there is not enough traction, s u ch as the fo llo wing:
When driving in deep snow o r o n loose faces.
W hen
on again by fig. 128 or (ASR fig. 129 .
or hard braking. Vapo r lock reduces braking
safety and the safe ty of others d e pends o n brakes that are working properly at all
Brake
swagen. Volkswagen recommends that yo u use brake fluid that conforms to quality standard 14 for optimum p erformance of the brake system. If this s pecial brake fluid is not
Motor Vehicle 116 4 or 4
Please note that brake fluid that conforms to standard 14 a lso complies w ith 116 4 and DIN 4 quirements. However, brake fluid that generally complies with 116 4 or 4925 CLASS 4 requirements w ill not essarily comply with the s pecial requirements of

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

Refueling checklist
first rea d an d note the introductory information and heed the on page 234.
The engi ne compartment of moto r vehicle is a haza rdous engine or in the engin e compartment unless yo u -know exac tl y how to carry o ut the job,
-have the correct technical in formation and the proper too ls and supplies, and -ar e familiar with the necessary safety precautions page 242, Preparation s for working
have the work done by an authorized Volkswagen dealer or authorized Volkswag e n Serv ice Facility. Ser ious personal injury may result from improperly perform ed work. Make
s ure that y ou check the followin g item s re gu larly. The bes t thin g is to check them every time you refue l:
Wind sh ie ld was her fluid leve l page 128
E ng in e oil leve l page 247
Engin e coolant leve l page 252
Brake fluid level page 188
Tire pressure page 276
Vehicle lighting necessary for drivin g safe ty:
-Turn signal s
-
li ghts, low beams and high beams
- Taillights
- Brak e light s
Inf
ormat ion regard ing changing light bul bs page 344.
While dri ving

Always use only Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel (ULSD) fuel No.2
tio n
shoul d be clearly marked on th e pump. Before filling your vehicl e plea se m ak e sure you are
usin g ULSD. Acco rding to Fed era l regu lation s ULSD is th e only diese l fuel t ype allowe d for use in your vehicle.
Diesel
fue l with con ce ntration s of methyl ester biodiesel high er than 5% (B5), such as Bll, are stri ctly pro hibited.
Se rv ic e s tation s
selling diese l fuel a re generally on
t ru ck rout es or major hi ghwa ys. Dir ecwries of
diesel fuel stati ons are usuall y avai lable at diese l
fuel s tat ion s.
U
LSD Diese l fuel ma y no t b e ava ilabl e outside the
USA and f ore trave ling to o ther countri es.
Winter diesel
At tempe ratures below F (-7' wax separation
in ULSDoccur s. Wax may clog the fuel filter or tank
filt er an d keep th e en g in e from running.
To help pr event th e filter from being clogged with
wax , th e fuel filt er in your ve hicl e is heated with
warm fuel whe n the engin e is running ( filt er heatin g sys te m ). Heatin g th e fue l filter makes it
pos sible to use your vehicl e with ULSD down to about 'F (-24
I f yo u ex pec t temperatures below 5 'F (-1 5
th e po int that th e en gin e will no t move the vehicle to a
heat e d garage or worksho p until it has w arm ed up.
p e ndin g on th e out side temperature.
D o no t let y
our die sel engine idle unnecessarily
afte r cold stan. Drivi ng off slowl y will short en the warm -u p period.
'
Neve r use
Note
The vehicl e's diesel engine was designed sole ly
for use with ULSD fuel. For this reason , nev er use gaso line, heating oil, or other unsuitable fuels. The properties of these fuels may cause serious damage to the fuel system and to the engin e. Such damage will not be covered by any Volkswagen
Limited Warrant y.
The vehicle was designed to run on diesel with blend leve ls up to and including 5% methyl ester biodi esel. Never use methyl ester biodiesel in
blend lev els hi gher than 5% (5% methyl est er
blends are sometime s designated or labeled as
B5). The propertie s of methyl ester biodiesel
blend s in leve ls greater than 5% may cause riou s damage to the fuel injection system and to the engine. This co uld lead to expensive repairs that will not b e cove red any Volkswagen Limited
241

Engine oil
Introduction
In thi s sect io n you'll find inform ation on the fol­
lowing:
Warning and indicator lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
Engine
=>Boo klet Warranty
fo r wor king in the engine com­partment=> page 242
accessories, repairs and modifications page303
Im
proper h andling of engin e oil can cause se­vere burns and other seriou s injurie s.
Always wear eye protection.
Warning and indicator light s
Engine oil is poisonous and must be stor ed out of the rea ch of children.
To reduce
Engine oil becomes ex tremely hot when the engine is running and can ca use severe burns. Alway s le t the engine cool down to the tou ch.
all othe r operat in g flui ds, engine oil can pollut e the envir o nment. leak ing op­
erat ing fluid s and dispose of them properly in ac­
co rdance with appl icable environmental laws and regu latio ns.
on page 247.
Light s response up
Engine oil level too low. th e engine. th e eng ine oil leve l --=>page 249.
Flashes cause respon se
Switc h off the eng ine.
Engine oil press ure too low.
-If the warning light flashes although the oil level is normal , do continue driving or let the en gine idle. as damage may result. Get ex -pert assis ta n ce.
Take the veh icle to an auth orized Volkswagen Engine oil leve l sensor malfunction. dealer or authorized Volkswagen Service Fa-cility. Have the engine oil sensor checked .

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

Checking the engine
u
J
Fig. 15 1
information and heed the o n pag e 247.
For a tru e reading of e ng ine oil level, the engine must be at operating temperature. Switch off the engin e and wa it a few minutes for the engine oil to
flow back into the oil pan.
the eng in e hood 242.
The engin e oil filler cap is marked w it h fig . 15 2 . The oil dipstick has a colored handle.
Engin e oil level ranges
Fig. 152 In the engine comportmen t: Engine oil filler cop.
R e insert the dip stick and push it all the way in.
If there is an alignment tab o n the engine oil
th e oil dipstic k out again a nd check the tab le o n page 249.
Afte r read ing th e oil leve l, reinsert the dipstick
in the gu ide tube and push it all the way back in.
fig.l51 Required action according to the respective engin e
Do not refill
T he oil leve l may go into the range,
but not above the range.
lit er). After addin g oil, make sure that the oil
l eve l is
about in the middle of rang e.
Adding engine oil (after checking level)
T o p off gradually w it h sm all amounts of oiL
Unscre w th e cap oft he engine oil filler opening from the cy lind er head cover. If yo u are
not sure where it is , contac t yo ur authorized swage n dea le r or authorized Volkswagen Serv ice Facility .
In the engine comportment
Add oil in sm all amounts-not more than I pint
page 248.
To avo id adding too much oil, wa it a w hile afte r
addin g eac h small qu antity of oil (so that the added oil can reach the oil pa n and the dipstick).
248 249

the oil leve l agai n befo re addin g more
oil. Never add much
O nce th e oil leve l is at least in the ( B) ra nge
oil dip stick all th e way. oil could le ak out while th e en­
g in e is running.
Afte r r efilling, car efully put the oil ca p back on and scre w it shut. Oth erwi se, oil could leak out whi le th e e ngine is running.
E ngin e oi l ca n ignite
when it tou ches hot e n g ine parts. T hi s can ca use fires, burns, and other se­vere injuri es.
Always make sure that the engin e oil fill er cap is screwed on tightly afte r adding oil so that oil cannot leak out ont o hot engin e parts whe n
th e vehicle is moving .
Engine
first r ea d and no te th e introductory information and h eed o n pa ge 247.
To prov ide effective lubricatio n and coolin g for in­
ternal engine parts, all internal combustio n en­
g ines use some oil. consumption varies from
e ng in e to engi ne and may ch an ge ove r th e life of th e e ng in e. Engi nes te nd to use m ore oil during th e
br eak- in peri od th an they do afterwa rd, when oil
co nsumption has s ta bili zed.
rat e of oil consump­
tion dep e nd s on oil quality a s well as v isc osity, e n ­
g in e s pee d (rpm), outs ide tempe rature, road con­dit io ns, the amount o f oil dilution caused b y con­densed water o r fuel residue, and oxidation of th e
o il. consumptio n may in crease with eng in e
wea r ove r time, until re pla cement of worn eng ine part s may beco me necessary .
Volk swage n recommends th at yo u to c heck the en­gin e oil leve l
vehicl e may consum e engine oil d e­pending o n seve ral var iables. A maximum of I quart per miles (!lite r km ) would be
Care, maintenance
Note
D o not start the engine if lhe e ngine oil leve l is
above range expert ass is ta n ce! Otl1envise the ca talytic con verter and engine ca n be dam­
aged!
W hen changin g or topping ofT make sure that you pour the into the correct res­ervoir s. Addi ng incorrec t
The e ngine oil leve l s h o uld never be above ran ge oil ca n be drawn in by
th e cra nkcase ventilation syste m and ent er th e at­
mo sphere via th e e xh au st sys te m .
co nside red normal. New vehicles may consume
m ore oil over th e km).
T he oi l pressure warning light is not an indicator oflowe ng in e oillevel.lfthe warning light stays on or whil e d rivin g (above rpm), a chime
will sound. It indica tes that the oil pressure is too
low. th e engine immediately, check the en­gine oil leve l and add oil if n ecessary . If the engine oil leve l is normal , but the continues to do not kee p driving or let t11e e ngin e idl e, as damage may occur.
If you believe your en g in e uses to o much oil, Volk­swagen recommends havin g th e vehicle checked b y an auth orized Volkswagen dea le r or an ri ze d Volk swagen Service Facility. Keep in mind that accurate measurem ent of oi l consumption re­quires great ca re and m ay take som e time. au­
t h orized Volkswa gen d ea ler and a uthorized Volk­
s wa gen Facility have instru ctions for how to m eas ure oi l co nsumptio n acc ura te ly.
Dep e ndin g on the wa y th e ve hicl e is dri ven an d th e ope ratin g conditions, oil consump­
t ion can be up to I quart per mil es (!liter per

Changing engine oil
fir st read and note the introductory information and heed th e on page 247.
The engi ne must be cha nged according to the interval s specified in your Warran ty and Ma inte­nance booklet.
at interva ls is very important because th e lubrica tin g propertie s of during normal you arc not sure when to have the ch anged, ask your autho­rized Volkswagen dealer or authorized Volkswage n
Sometimes, e ng in e should be ch anged more
ofte n than sp ecified for normal u se. more freque ntly if yo u often drive short dista nces,
in dus ty areas or in stop -and-go or if you
u se your
and ch anged by an autho­rized Volk swage n dealer or an authorized swage n Serv ice They have th e re­
qui red expertise and sp ecia l tools and dis pose of the
look dark afte r the engine h as been running a short time. This is normal and n o reaso n to change e n­
gi ne
yourself, be
sure to ta ke the precautio ns:
A lways wear eye protec tion .
To reduce the risk of burns from hot engine th e engine cool down complete ly before
b eg inning.
When re m ovi ng the drain plug wit h your fingers, s tay as fa r away as possib le . A lways keep
your forea rm to th e ground to help pre­
ven t hot from runnin g down your arm.
into a container desig ned fo r
t hi s purpose, one enough to ho ld at least
th e total amount of
To reduce the ri sk of poisoning, n eve r drain the into empty food or beve rage containers that mi ght mislea d someone into drinking from
th em.
Engine is poisonous and must be stor ed out of the reach of children.
Continuous contact with use d engin e is
h a rmful to your skin. Always protect your skin
b y wa shing thoroughl y wit h soap and water.
ch angin g th e first make sure you know where yo u ca n properly dispose of the old oil.
Dis pose o f the old an environmentall y-re­
spons ible manner. Never dump th e old oil o n
garden soil. in wooded areas, in the street, into
s tr ea ms, rivers, or bodies of water, or d own sewage
drain s.
used by taki ng it to a fa­
recomm en ds that you always have your oi l and oil filter changed by a n authorize d Volkswagen deale r or authorize d Serv ice They h ave the required ex pe rtise and sp ecia l tools a nd di spose of the old