trailer VOLKSWAGEN GOLF PLUS 2012 User Guide

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

Braking assistance system s
fir st read and n o te the introductory information and heed the
on page
T he and EDL braking tance system s work onl y w he n th e engine is ning. These sys te m s can sig nificantl y improve
vehicle namics to help reduce the probability of skidding and loss o f vehicl e control. works only w hen the engine is running. driving situations, including w hen the veh icle is beginning to spin (yaw) out of control.
gin e power and by providing steering assistance to help hold the ve hicle on the driver's intended
course.
has limitation s.
will not always be able to help out under all tions you m ay come up against. For example, may no t a lways be able to hel p you mas te r tions w he re there is sudde n change in the
cannot perform the sa me
way it would on a dry surface. the vehicl e
cornering. ularly on winding road s, cannot always deal as
e ffectiv ely wi th diffi cult drivin g situations it can
a t lower speed s. When towin g a is not able to help you regain control as it would if yo u were not towing a trailer.
Alway s
adjust your speed bility, road, cannot overcome the laws of phys ics, increa se the available
stead, improves the possibil ity o f keeping th e
vehi cle under control and o n th e road during treme maneuvers b y using th e driver's s teerin g puts to help keep the vehicle going in the int ended direction .lf you a re tra velin g at a speed that causes yo u to run off th e road before can provide any
EDL , and XDL syste m s (sec be lo w). is switc hed on all the tim e. certain situati ons
w he n you need less traction or additional tract ion cannot be achieved, you can swit ch off by pressing page 196, fig. l28. B e
s
ure to switch ASR on again when you no longer
need less traction.
Anti-lock
brake system (ABS)
ABS helps to keep the wheels from l ocking up and helps to maintain t h e driver's ability to steer and control the vehicle . Thi s means the vehicle is less lik ely to skid, even during hard
th e brake pedal down hard
Do not the brake pedal or letup on it!
S teer the vehicl e while pushing down hard on the brake pedal.
ABS sto ps working if you re lease or let up on th e brake.
When is doing i t s job, you will notice
noise. T he stopping di stance may even be lo nger, for instance, when dri ving on
pin g distances.lfyou press the pedal very quickly, BAS detects an e m ergency situ ation.
pedal! BAS
s w itches off automaticall y as soon
reduces en gine power d irected to spinning wheels and adjus ts power to the road conditions.
Eve n under poor ro ad conditions,

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.

Park Distance
Introduction
In this section you'll find on the lowing :
Pork Distanc e Control (PDC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Park Dis tance sys te m can help the
dri ver w hen backi ng up and parking. If the vehicle
gets too close to an obstacl e in the of or hind
trasound waves. The sys te m u ses the tim e it ta kes for the ultra sonic w aves to bo un ce back from the
object to ca lc ul ate the distance between th e bumper and an object.
More information:
Parts, accessories, repairs and modifications
and th e optical
tentiv e driving.
The sensors have blind spots in which
peopl e , animals, and objects cannot be tected.
Always be careful and look around you when
parking. The sensors cannot alwa ys detect
p eo ple, a nimals , and objects . W atc h out for small children and animals in parti cular .
The sys te m sensors cannot d etect p eople and obj ects if th e clothing worn and other surfaces do not reflect the sonic waves that the sensors send and rece ive .
These objects and persons wearing this type of clothing cannot be detected by the sys tem.
While driving
Noise in the area where the Distance sys tem is being used may also prevent
peopl e and objects from being properly tecte d .
Note
T hing s lik e trailer draw bars, thin rods, fences, tree s, narrow painted vertical poles, pos ts , or a rear hatch th at is opening may not be detected by the and Opti cal Sys te m sensors and co uld damage the ve hicl e.
If you continue drivin g closer to an object that
th e
Systems have already detec te d and reported , the obj ec t may di sappear from the se nso r rang e and may no longer be detecte d . This is es pecially true for low or hi gh object s. The system will no longer
sound warnings about these objects. Ignoring nals from the sys tem could res ult in seriou s dama ge to th e ve hicl e.
The sensors in the bumper ca n be damaged or be co me mi salig ned in low spee d im pacts and parking maneuv ers. Damag ed or mi saligned
T o ensure correct functionality of the sys te m ,
keep the se nsors in the bumpers c lean, free of snow and icc; do not cover the se nsors with
s tickers or o th er objects .
When cleaning the senso rs with power
washer s or steam clean ers, only spray the sensors
d ire ctly for a very short time, and alway s keep the
washer nozz le at least 4 inches em) from the sensors.
Noise from rough roads, cobb les tones, other ve hicl es and the surr ounding for ample, ca n p reve nt th e Park Dis ta nce sys te m fro m acc urate ly detecting and report ing
p eople and objec ts that be w ithin range of th e
sys te m se nso rs.

The
vehicl es with a factory-installed trailer hitch
a nd an elec trically co nn ected a corre­
s p ondin g grap hic is displayed on th e sc reen. Dis­
tan ces behind the vehicl es will not be displayed.
Drive r assis tance systems
Never rely completely on the
The sensors have blind spots where they
cannot detect persons or objects.
Never pay so much attention to the and the graph ics shown on the screen that you fail to notice what is go ing on around you.
Always watch for people, especially s mall
children and animals, because tl1e sensors may
not always be able to detect t11em.
208 209

Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
this section you'll find informati on on th e lowing:
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Monitor ing System
Monito ring Sys te m indirectly c hecks the tire pressure of all
f our tires while you are driving by us ing the lock Brake Syste m (ABS) sensor s to monitor the
tr ea d circumf erenc e and vibration ch arac te ris tics of the indi vidua l tir es. warns if there is a nifi cant loss of pres sure in one or more tires while
the vehicl e is mo vin g. loss is s ig nale d b y
the ind icato r light as by an aco usti c
wa rni ng and text warnin gs in the in strument clu ster di spla y if your ve hicle has an MFD. The
origina l b en chmark pre ssure is th e recommended
m axi mum load cold tire inflati on pressure for the tire s that come with your vehicle that is lis te d on
th e tire pressure lab el on the dri ver door pill ar. By press ing the Reset button , yo u can ch ange the
b enchmark pressure to match th e c urr ent pressure of the tir es on you r page 222.
use of the Heset butto n i s explained below 222.
More informa tion:
page 137
Bra king, stopping and page 188
Ext e rior care an d page 262
page 276
pa ge303
Whil e driving
An acoustic warni ng sounds th e first time low tire pressure is detec ted. a system
Improp er tire care can cause sudden tire sure loss,
hicle control, accidents, and serious personal
injury .
tire inflation pressure regularl y when the tires are cold and alway s maintain the scribed tire pressure . Low tire pressure can cause tires to get too hot, res ultin g in tread ration, sudden lo ss of pres sure, and blowout s.
Thi s is because tires with excessively low
sure undergo more flexi ng, which can cau se the tir e to overheat and destroy the tire.
Always maintain correct cold tire inflation pressure as listed on the tire pressure label
Check tire inflation pressure regularl y when the tires are cold. Adjust tir e press ure in the cold
tir e to the recommended tire pressure for t11e tires installed on your vehicl e as necessary.
Neve r exceed the permissi ble maximum speed and load rating of the tires on your hicl e.
Imprope r us e of the Reset button can cause the to give false warnings or to give no
warning des pite dangerou sly lo w tire pressure
page222.
Und er- inflat ion increases fue l con sumptio n and tire wear.
to ring Syste m.
bedde d in the tir e tre ad but have n o t penetrated
int o the body of tire
Driving on u npaved roads for an extended
The te lltal e
s h ows a malfunc tion but switch es orr if road dit io ns or th e drivin g sty le c han ges or if th e tio n is switch ed on and orr
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) and reset button
the center or in
the compartment: Button for th e
T
ire Pressure Monitoring System.
first r ead and note the
introductory informatio n
and heed the WARNINGS on
page
ve hicle's Tir e Moni­
torin g
indirectly
c h ec ks
the ti re pressure of al l four
tire s while yo u are drivin g by us
ing
the Anti -loc k
If there is more weight on one
axle than the other (such as when
towin g a trailer) .

Tires and wheels
Introduction
In this section you'll find informa ­
tion on th e following:
Tire and . . . . . . . . . 278
New and tires . . . . . . 281
Tire
tires . 285
Tread depth and tread wear
indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286
Tir e wear and damage . . . . . . . . . . 286
Spare or compact spare
....... ................. 288
Braking, stopping and parking
188
Tire Pressure Monitoring System
Exterior care and cleaning
page262
Consume r information
Wheel covers page 328
Changing a wheel page
T ir e mobili ty page 336
Tire ...................
Winter tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 4
Snow chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295
of tire and
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296
Tires and . . . . . .
Determi ning the correc t
page 137
Trailer towing page 152
Core, maintenance
New tires or tires that are old,
worn or damaged cannot provide
maximum control and braking
performance.
New tires must be broken in
because new tires do not have
full traction and braking perfor­
mance. Always drive with special
care for the first

(includin g the weight of a trailer
hit ch and the tongue weig
ht of the
loaded trailer) is also limit ed. More
p asse ngers, or passengers who are
h eavier than the ass
umed
a vehicle can cause
lo ss of vehicle control, a crash or
other accident, serious personal
injury, a
nd even death.
Carrying more weight than
your vehicle was designed to
carry will prevent
the vehicle
from handling properly
and in­
crease
the risk of the loss ofve­
hicle control.

Parts, accessories, repairs and modifications
lowing:
Break-in period . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Ports and accessories .. ....... .... , . , . . . . . . . . .
Operating fluids and equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Repai rs and technical modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Notice about data recorded by vehicle control modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using o cellular phone in a motor vehicle when it is not c o nne cte d to the vehicle te lephone antenna . .
points for the vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Inappropriate spare parts and accessorie s as w ell as improperly performed work, tions and repairs can cause ve hicl e damage, cidents and serious personal injuries.
Volkswagen strongl y recomm ends to only use accessories approved by Volkswagen and Genuine Volkswagen These parts and cessories have been evaluated by Volk swagen for their s uitability, reliabilit y and safety.
Break-in period
first read and note the introductory
o n page303.
No te applicab le re quirem ents for breaking in new parts.
Breaking in a new e ngin e
A n
ew en gin e must be caref ully broke n in during the fir st kilo m ete rs). During the
fir st few h ours o f dri vin g, th e e ngine's intern al
kilomet ers) will also affect th e e ng in e quality. Even after th is time -and especially w ith co ld engine­
drive the ve hicle at moderate en gin e speeds in
o rd er to reduce en gin e wear and to incre ase the
care and maint enanc e
Have repairs and vehicle modifica tions
rized Volkswag en dealers and authorized swagen Service Facilities have the required tool s, diagnostic equipment, repair tion, and trai ned personnel.
Only install parts on the ve hicl e that are
Never sto re, mount or attach objects, such as cup or p hone hold ers, on or next to the a irbag module covers or within the airbags
Only use wheel rim I tire combinations proved by Volk swagen for the respecti ve vehicle
mileage the engi ne can co ve r. Do not drive at gine speed s w hi ch are to o low. Always downshif t if the e ngin e is no longer running For the fir st kilometers):
Do no t use full throttle .
Do not drive the ve hicl e at more than 2/3 of the
top en gine s peed.
Do n o t to w trailer.
From to miles km): m ay be in creased to maximum sibl e road and en g in e speed.
New tire s and brake pads
New tires and rep lacing pag e 276
page 192

Introduction
In this s ec tion lowing :
Preparation s chang ing a . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332
the with the jack . . . . . . . . . . 333
Changing a
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335
ve hicl e design s and models are not ered with a jack and lug w re n ch . su ch cases , Volkswage n recommend s havi ng tires and wheels
changed by an authorized Volk swage n dealer or an authorized Volkswag en Servic e Facility.
Vehi cle key page 34
Tir es and wheels=>
In an page
Vehi cle tool pag e 32 6
Whee l cover s page 328
a whe el, especially on th e side of the road, can be da ngerou s. To help reduce the risk of ser ious personal injury:
Always stop the vehicle
Always make sure that all passengers , cially children, are in safe place outside the
Turn on the emergency nasher and set up another
Always make sure th at the ground is level and firm . If necessary place a sturdy board under the jack.
a whee l by yourse lf only if yo u arc
Always use proper and undamaged tools
when changing tire.
Always apply the parking brake and sh ift the transmission into Park mission ) or any gear (manual only) to help ve nt the ve hicle from moving suddenly and ping off the jack.
a w heel is lifted off the ground, having the tran smission in Park or in gea r not prevent sudden vehicl e movement.
Alwa ys blo ck
Jar object.
If you are towing trail er, alway s unhitch it
from your vehicle before star ting to change the
wh eel. Always apply th e trailer bra kes firmly and make sure the
Always use jac k that has been approved by th e m anufacturer for your vehicle . Never use other jack s, eve n if th ey have been approved for
u se on other Volk swag en models.
To reduce the risk of los ing control , crashes, and se riou s personal injurie s, neve r loosen the
sc re w s on rim s with threa ded rim rings.
Mter changin g a wheel , have the wheel bolt
tightening torque checked with an accurate
torqu e
wrench .