warning lights VOLKSWAGEN GOLF PLUS 2012 User Guide

Warning and indicator
Please fir st r ead and not e th e int rod uc tory informatio n and heed th e on pag e 179.
Light s
Possibl e cause up
Brak e pedal not d ep ressed!
Brake pedal w as not depressed before a new drive position wa s selected with the
se lec to r l eve r. o r be fo re pe rformin g
Possibl e caus e
The re lease bul!on in th e s elec tor leve l did
n o t en gage in po siti on. V ehicle is preve nted.
th e ig niti on i s s witch ed on, seve ral warnin g
and indica to r lig hts c om e on briefly fo r a function
c heck . T hey go out aft er few sec o nd s.
to hee d warning light s and in strument
clu ste r te xt m essages cause the v ehicl e to
b reak d own in and result in colli sion and seri ou s persona l injury.
Neve r ignore warning lig ht .s or t ext
drivin g
Prop er re sponse
Dep ress the brake pedal.
Appl y th e brake pedal to sele ct a dri ve position
Prop er re sp o nse
E ngage se lecto r lev er
page 183.
Alwa ys stop the ve hicl e as s oo n it is safe to
d o s o.
stalled or stopped f or r epa ir , move the ve hicl e a safe di sta n ce
Note
Fa ilur e to heed warning lights o r tex t

Braking, stopping, and parking
Introduction
In this section yo u'll find inform ation on fo l­
lowi ng:
Warning and indicator lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Park in g brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 1
About t
he brakes . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 192
Bra king assistance sys tem s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Switching Anti-Slip Regulation (ASR) on ond off . . 196
Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
T he brakin g support syste ms are Brake A ss is t E lec tro nic Differ e n tial Loc k (EDL). Anti-Slip
M ore information:
Trail er page
pag e
Tires and page 276
acce ssories, r epa ir s and modifi catio ns
brakes or worn brake pads can
ca use colli sio n and serious personal inju ry.
light s up in the
in strument cluste r di splay, w heth er a lo n e or to­
ge ther with tex t message, immediat ely conta ct an authorized Volk swage n dea ler or authorized
Volkswag en Se rvi ce Faci lity to have th e brake pad s ch ecke d and , if necessary, re pl aced.
WARNING
improperly can cause se riou s pe rso nal
injury .
Never re m ove key from the ignition switch while vehicl e is m ov ing or ro llin g to a
s top. The steering w heel w ill lock and you not be
Never park the vehicle w here the ho t ex ha ust
syste m or catalyti c convert er could ignit e flam ­
mabl e mater ia ls, su ch as brus h , leaves , dry grass, spilled fue l, e tc .
Always apply th e parki ng brake whe n
p a rki ng your veh icle. Imprope r u sc of th e
p a rking bra ke can se rio usly injur e you and your passe nge rs.
Never use the
e m ergency . The stopping dista n ce is muc h
longer b ec au se onl y the wheels arc braked . use the foot brake to sto p the vehicle .
Never the throttl e from
th e e ng in e
th e automati c transmission is in gear. The ve hicle will start t o move as soon the e ngine speed ev en i f th e brake is on.
Never leave childr en or anyo ne w ho canno t
h elp them se lve s beh in d in the vehicl e. They could re leas e the brak e move the gear selector leve r or shift , wh ic h could cause th e vehicle to start m ov ing. Thi s ca n lea d
to a cras h and seri ous personal injuri es.
Always take the key with you when yo u
leave th e ve hicle . The engine ca n be started and ve hicl e sys te m s s uch as the power wind ows can
b e operate d , le ad ing to seri ous perso nal injury.
Neve r leave childr en , di sabled perso ns, or a nyon e who cannot h elp them se lves in the vehicl e. T he doors can b e lo cke d wit h the re mote contro l ke y, trapping passe nge rs in the
ve hicle in an emerge ncy. For exa mpl e, dep en­ding on th e tim e of year, people trappe d in the
ve hicle can be ex pose d to very high or very temperatures. Heat build -up in the passenger and parked vehicl e result in temperatu res in the ve hicl e th at arc much hi gher than the outsid e tempe mtu­
res, partic ul arl y in summer. T emperatures ca n
qui ckly reac h le v e ls that can cause uncon­
scio usn ess ch ildr en.

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

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

Introduction
th is section yo u'll fin d inform ation on the fol­lowi ng:
Warning ond indica tor lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Cruise control operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
h elps maint ains
an indiv idually s tored con stan t sp ee d w hen
d ri vin g above 12 mph (km /h).
Th e
More information:
page 179
Parts, acce ssories. repa irs an d modificat io ns page 303
Using the cruise control when it is not possibl e
t o drive safely at a constant speed can b e dan­
gerous
Never use cruise control when dri ving in
h eavy or varying traffic or when you cannot keep
a safe distance betwe en you and the ve hicle s ahead of you. Never use cruise contro l on ste ep , winding, or slippery roads (s uch grav el roads, wet roads, or sno\vy or icy road s) or on road s with standing
wat er.
Never use cruise control when driving off­
road or on unpave d road s.
Always adjust your speed and the di stance yo u keep betwe en you and the vehicles ahead of you to the weather, and vis ibility condition s.
To he lp prevent unintended operation of crui se control , switch the s y stem off when it is not
It is dange rous to use the Resume feature
wh en th e prev iously set speed is too high for the exis ting traffic, or weather condi tion s.
When traveling downhill , tJ1e cru ise control may no t b e a ble to maintain a cons tant sp eed .
Th e vehicl e will spe ed up b ecause of it s o wn
weight. Downshift and/or usc the foot brake to
s low the ve hicle.
When travelin g downhill , the crui se control may not be able to a constant speed.
The vehicle may speed up b ecause of it s own
weight . Dow nshift and/or u se the foot brak e to
s lo w the vehicle.

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

Function and operation
Fig. 141 In the cen te r co nsole : b uHon fo r Dynomic C hoss is
Please read and note th e introductory inf ormati on and hee d t he on page 218.
D ynamic C hassis Control lets you prese lec t
chassi s dam ping for comfo rt or sporty driving .
pro grams.
T he
program also affec ts th e feel of the steering .
Driver assis tanc e systems
Program R
ecommended driving
Comfort- oriented setting, for driving on poor roa ds and driving lon g di sta nces .
Balanced
setting, for everyday
u se.
a program
o n th e ignition.
re p ea te dl y th e des ired progra m is
disp laye d.
Th e
nor illumin ated in the button. Turning off the
i g nition does no t chan ge the program you have lec ted.
Driv ing characteristics can
change after choosing chassis suspension setting. Drive just as carefully as you would if the vehicle did not
h ave Neve r let it tempt you into takin g
risks.
Always adapt your speed and driving style to
visibil and traffic condit ions.
malfunctions , flash in the button. Driving comfo rt might be affec te d b y th e malfunction. Tak e th e ve hicl e to an authorized Volk swage n
d ea ler or an authorize d Volkswa gen
218 219
Please read and note the introdu ctory information and h eed the WARNINGS on page
Poss ible cause or
Lights up and a chime sounds: Tire pressure is too in one o r more tires compa re d wi th th e ben chmark press ure
se t by the driver-or ti re has stru ctural
damage. A co rre spo ndi ng warning
sa ge may also app ear in the instrument cluster.
Fla s hes for abo ut seconds and then stay s on: malfun ction.
W h
en the ignition i s s witched on, severa l warning
a nd ind icato r light s come on briefly fo r funct ion
c h ec k. Th ey go out after a few seco nds.
Incorrec t lire pressures and/or under- inflati on can cause sudden tire failure , loss of control , lisio n, seriou s personal injury, o r even death.
When the warning symb ol
In correc t tir e pressure a nd/or tio n can ca use incre a se d tir e wear and ca n affe ct the handling of th e ve hicle and its stoppin g
Incor rec t tir e pressure and/or ti o n can also lead t o sudden tir e fa ilu re,
Proper response
Heduc e speed imm ediately! Always
s t
op th e vehicle as soon as it is safe do so . Avoid fas t cornerin g and hard braking!
tion press ure in all four tires. If th e tir e
cilit y c heck the sys tem.
(continued)
Always inflate tires to the correct tire re befor e drivin g off .
Driv in g with under-inflat ed tire s causes them to flex more, letting the m get too hot,
which can
Excessive speed and/or over loading can
ca use heat build -up, sudden tire failure , and lo ss of control.
If the tire pressure is too low or too high , th e tires wear prematurely and the vehicl e will
not handl e we ll.
If the tire is not and yo u d o no t h ave
t o ch an ge the tire or whee l immediat ely , drive a t
reduced spee d to the nearest serv ice station to
c h eck th e tir e pressure and add

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.

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

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 .