brake fluid VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT CC 2015 1.G Owners Manual

d Secure animals in the vehicle with a system that corresponds to
their weight and size.
WARNING
Always observe traffic rules and posted speed limits and use
common sense. Your good judgment can mean the difference
between arriving safely at your destination and being seriously
injured in a crash or other kind of accident.
Regular service and maintenance of your vehicle is important
both for operational and driving safety and to help prolong your vehi-
cle's service life. Always follow the scheduled maintenance intervals
in the ⇒ Booklet Warranty and Maintenance, especially for changing
the brake fluid. Hard use, frequent stop-and-go driving, driving in very
dusty areas, trailer towing, and other factors may make it necessary
to have the vehicle serviced more frequently. Ask an authorized
Volkswagen dealer or an authorized Volkswagen Service Facility for
more information.
Driving in other countries

The tires and wheels are essential parts of the vehicle's design. The
tires and wheels approved by Volkswagen are specially matched to
the characteristics of the vehicle for good road holding and safe han-
dling when in good condition and properly inflated.
Avoiding tire damage
If you must drive over a curb or other obstacle, drive very slowly
and as much as possible at a right angle to the curb with the tire tread
of both front wheels contacting the curb at the same time.
Regularly check tires for damage, such as punctures, cuts, tears
and blisters.
Remove embedded material in the tread profile that has not yet
penetrated the inside of the tire ⇒ Tire wear and damage.
Heed all warning messages from the Tire Pressure Monitoring Sys-
tem
Replace worn or damaged tires immediately ⇒  Tire wear and
damage.
Damage to tires and wheels is often not readily visible. If you notice
unusual vibration or the vehicle pulls to one side, this may indicate
that one of the tires is damaged. The tires must be checked immedi-
ately for hidden damage by an authorized Volkswagen dealer or an
authorized Volkswagen Service Facility. See also ⇒ Tire wear and
damage.
Never exceed the load and permissible maximum speed rating of
the tires ⇒ Tire labeling.
Always keep aggressive chemicals including grease, oil, gasoline
and brake fluid off the tires, including the spare wheel ⇒ .
Replace missing valve caps immediately.
Unidirectional tires
Unidirectional tires are designed to rotate only in one direction. Unidi-
rectional tires have arrows on the sidewalls that show the direction of
rotation ⇒ Tire labeling. Unidirectional tires must always be mounted
according to the specified direction of rotation in order to deliver their
best grip, braking performance, low road noise, and good wear as
well as good hydroplaning resistance.
If you have to mount a tire opposite to its proper direction of rotation,
you must drive more carefully, since the tire is no longer being used
as designed. This is particularly important on wet roads. You must

Normal occupant weight
Means 150 lbs (68 kilograms) times the number of occupants seated
in the vehicle up to the total seating capacity of your vehicle.
Occupant distribution
The placement of passengers in a vehicle.
Outer diameter
The diameter of a new, properly inflated tire.
Overall width
Total width measured at the exterior sidewalls of an inflated tire, in-
cluding the additional width of labeling, decorations, or protective
bands or ribs.
Passenger car tire
A tire intended for use on passenger cars, multipurpose passenger
vehicles, and trucks, that have a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR)
of 10,000 pounds or less.
Ply
A layer of rubber-coated parallel cords.
Ply separation
A parting of rubber compound between adjacent plies.
Pneumatic tire
A mechanical device made of rubber, chemicals, fabric, and steel or
other materials, that, when mounted on an automotive wheel, pro-
vides the traction and contains the gas or fluid that sustains the load.
Production options weight
The combined weight of installed regular production options weighing
over 5 lbs (2.3 kg) more than the standard items they replace, and not
previously considered as curb weight or accessory weight. These
include, for example, heavy-duty brakes, ride levelers, roof rack,
heavy-duty battery, and special trim.
Radial ply tires
A pneumatic tire in which the ply cords that extend to the beads are
laid at substantially 90 degrees to the centerline of the tread.

WARNING
Switching off the engine while the vehicle is moving can make
the vehicle harder to stop and result in loss of vehicle control,
leading to collisions and severe personal injuries.
Brake and steering assistance systems, the airbag system,
safety belt pretensioners, and other vehicle safety features only
work when the engine is running.
Switch off the engine only when the vehicle is not moving.
WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious personal injury when starting and
running the vehicle's engine:
Never start the engine or let it run in a confined or enclosed
area. Engine exhaust contains carbon monoxide, a poisonous,
colorless, and odorless gas. Carbon monoxide can cause un-
consciousness and death.
Never leave the vehicle unattended with the engine running.
The vehicle could move suddenly or some other unexpected
event could occur, resulting in property damage or personal
injury.
Never use starting assist fluids. Starting fluids can explode
and can cause a “run-away” vehicle condition.
WARNING
The vehicle exhaust system and the catalytic converter get very
hot. They can cause fires and serious personal injury.
Never park the vehicle where the hot exhaust system or cata-
lytic converter could ignite flammable materials, such as brush,
leaves, dry grass, spilled fuel, etc.
Never apply additional undercoating or rust proofing on or
near the exhaust manifold, exhaust pipes, catalytic converter,
or heat shields.

WARNING
Driving with bad brakes can cause a collision and serious per-
sonal injury.
If the brake warning light "2!+% or H does not go out, or
comes on when driving, either the brake fluid level in the reser-
voir is too low or there is a fault in the brake system. Stop the
vehicle as soon as you can do so safely and get expert assis-
tance ⇒  Brake fluid.
If the brake warning light "2!+% or H comes on at the same
time as the ABS warning light !"3 or J, the ABS may not be
working properly. This could cause the rear wheels to lock up
relatively quickly during braking. Rear wheel brake lock-up can
cause loss of vehicle control.
If you believe the vehicle is safe to drive, drive slowly and
very carefully to the nearest authorized Volkswagen dealer, au-
thorized Volkswagen Service Facility, or other qualified work-
shop and have the brake system inspected. Avoid sudden hard
braking and steering.
If the ABS indicator light !"3 or J does not go out, or if it
comes on while driving, the ABS system is not working proper-
ly. The vehicle can then be stopped only with the standard
brakes (without ABS). You will not have the protection ABS
provides. Contact your authorized Volkswagen dealer or an au-
thorized Volkswagen Service Facility as soon as possible.
If the symbol "2!+% 7%!2 or I lights up in the instrument clus-
ter display, whether alone or together with a text message, im-
mediately contact an authorized Volkswagen dealer or author-
ized Volkswagen Service Facility to have the brake pads
checked and, if necessary, replaced.
NOTICE
Failure to heed warning lights or text WARNINGS can result in
vehicle damage.

The Electronic Stability Control (ESC) only works when the engine is
running. This system includes ABS, EDL and ASR.
ASR can be switched off by pressing m ⇒ fig. 145 while the engine is
running. Switch off ASR only in situations where there is not enough
traction, such as the following:
When driving in deep snow or on loose surfaces.
When “rocking” the vehicle back and forth when you are stuck.
Afterward, activate ASR again by pressing the button m.
Brake fluid

Fig. 146 In the engine compartment: Brake fluid reservoir cap.

Check the information on the container for the brake fluid you want to
use to make sure it meets the requirements for your vehicle.
Brake fluid that complies with VW Standard 501 14 can be pur-
chased from your authorized Volkswagen dealer or authorized
Volkswagen Service Facility.
If this special brake fluid is not available you may – under these cir-
cumstances – use another high quality brake fluid that complies with
U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 116 DOT 4 ⇒ 
.
Please note, however, that not all brake fluids that comply with U.S.
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard FMVSS 116 DOT 4 have the
same chemical composition. Some of these brake fluids can contain
chemicals that could, over time, degrade or damage internal parts of
the vehicle’s brake system.
Volkswagen therefore recommends that you use brake fluid that ex-
pressly complies with VW Standard 501 14 for optimum brake sys-
tem performance over the long term.
Brake fluid level
The fluid level in the transparent brake fluid reservoir must always be
between the MIN and MAX marking ⇒ .
On some vehicles, engine components block the view of the brake
fluid reservoir and make it impossible to see the brake fluid level. If
you cannot clearly see the brake fluid level in the brake fluid reservoir,
please see an authorized Volkswagen dealer or authorized
Volkswagen Service Facility.
The brake fluid level drops slightly when the vehicle is being used as
the brake pads wear and the brakes are automatically adjusted.
Changing brake fluid
Brake fluid must be changed according to the service schedule in
your ⇒ Booklet Warranty and Maintenance. Have the brake fluid
checked by an authorized Volkswagen dealer or an authorized
Volkswagen Service Facility. Refill only with new brake fluid that
meets the standards listed above.

WARNING
Brake failure and reduced brake performance can be caused by
not having enough brake fluid in the reservoir or by old or in-
correct brake fluid.
Check the brake system and brake fluid level regularly.
Always change the brake fluid according to the service
schedule in your ⇒ Booklet Warranty and Maintenance.
Hard braking with old brake fluid may cause vapor lock. Va-
por lock reduces braking performance, increases stopping dis-
tances and can even cause total brake failure.
Always make sure that only the correct brake fluid is used.
Only use brake fluid that expressly conforms to VW Standard
501 14 or, if it is not available, only use a high-quality brake flu-
id that conforms to U.S. Standard FMVSS 116 DOT 4 require-
ments.
Using another brake fluid, or one that is not of high quality,
can impair the function of the brake system and reduce its ef-
fectiveness. If the container does not say that the brake fluid
complies with VW Standard 501 14, or U.S. Standard
FMVSS 116 DOT 4, do not use it.
The brake fluid must be new.
WARNING
Brake fluid is poisonous.
To reduce the risk of poisoning, never use food, beverage or
other non-original containers to store brake fluid. Someone
might be misled by the original label on the container, or by the
shape of the container, and drink the brake fluid. This could oc-
cur even if you relabel the container as “brake fluid.”
Only store brake fluid in the closed, original container and
keep it out of the reach of children.
NOTICE
Brake fluid will damage vehicle paint, plastic parts, and tires.
Wipe any brake fluid off vehicle paint and other vehicle parts
immediately.

Brake fluid can pollute the environment. Brake fluid that has
leaked out must be collected and disposed of properly, following all
applicable environmental regulations.

d Brake fluid level ⇒  Braking and parking
d Tire pressure ⇒  Tires and wheels
d Vehicle lighting necessary for driving safety:
– Turn signals
– Low beams and high beams
– Taillights
– Brake lights
– License plate lights
Information on replacing light bulbs: ⇒  Replacing light bulbs.
WARNING
Disregarding the safety-related checklist may lead to accidents
and injuries.
Please note and follow the points listed in the checklist.