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1
 INSTRUMENT PANEL 
Illustration instruments and controls 
Warning and indicator light symbols 
CONTROLS AND EQUIPMENT 
Keys,
 central locking system .... 7, 8 
Doors 9 
Rear lid 11 
Windows, mirrors 12, 13  Safety belts, head restraints . . . .14,19 
Seats 20 Luggage compartment, pedals . 28,29 
Brakes, Transmission 29, 32  Differential lock 33 
Automatic-transmission 35  Steering lock/ignition/starter switch . 38 
Starting procedures 39 Instrument cluster 40 
Warning/indicator lights 43  Switches 46 Emergency flasher 46 
Light switch, turn signals .... 46,48 
Cruise control 49 
Windshield wipers 50  Ventilation/Heating 51 
Air conditioning 54 
Heater 57 
Sliding roof 62 
Roof-rack 68  VEHICLE OPERATION 
Break-in period - and afterwards . . 69 
Operate your vehicle safety 70 
Operate your vehicle economically 
and minimize pollution 72 
Trailer towing 73  Driving with the all-wheel drive ... 75 
VEHICLE CARE 
Fuel tank, fuel supply 85,86 
Vehicle care (exterior/interior) . . 90, 93  Maintenance, inspection intervals . . 95 Engine compartment lid, 
engine compartment 97  Lubricants, engine oil 98,99 
Engine oil filter 101 
Transmission oil 102 
Power steering 103 
Cooling system 104  Brake fluid 108 
Battery 109 
Windshield washers/wipers . . . 112,113 
Tires/wheels 114  Difficult operating conditions .... 120 
Winter driving 121 
Accessories 122 
DO-IT-YOURSELF SERVICE 
Jack and tools 123  Spare wheel 124 
Changing a wheel 125  Fuses, bulbs 128, 130  Adjusting headlights 
134 
Installing,
 replacing the radio . .  . . 135 
Emergency starting  136 
Emergency towing  138 
Lifting vehicle  . . 140 
TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION 
Engine, transmission 142 
Steering,
 suspension, brakes, 
body, chassis 143 Emission-control-system 144 
TECHNICAL DATA 
Engine, spark plugs . 
V-belts capacities . .  Dimensions 
Weights 
Vehicle identification  146 
147 
148 
150  151 
CONSUMER INFORMATION 
Service manuals 152 
GAS STATION INFORMATION 
Location of servicing points 156 
ALPHABETICAL INDEX 158 
 
 
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CONTROLS AND EQUIPMENT 
I - Tachometer* 
"he red shaded area at the end of the  scale indicates the maximum permissible 
engine rpm (revolutions per minute) for all  gears after the break-in period. Before 
'eaching this area, the next higher gear 
snould be selected or the foot eased off 
the accelerator pedal. Earlier shifting  saves fuel and reduces noise. 
Sniff to the next lower gear when the en-
; ne rpm drops below 1500 rpm. 
~ne green shaded area on the scale  snows the speed at which the engine is de-
 •
 eloping its most favourable torque. 
3 - Normal clock* 
~J
 set the clock, depress the knob in the  : al center and
 turn. 
 4 - Coolant temperature 
gauge  X 
tare applicable  The needle in the coolant temperature 
gauge will indicate the temperature of the 
coolant shortly after the ignition is 
switched on. 
When ignition is switched on the warning  light (c) will flash for a few seconds as a 
functional check. 
a - Engine cold 
Avoid high engine speeds and heavy throt tle when the needle is still in this area of 
the
 dial. 
b - Normal temperature During normal running the needle will re
main somewhere in the middle of the
 dial. 
 If the engine is working hard at hign a--
bient temperatures, the needle may as: 
go further to the right, but this is no cause 
for concern so long as the coolant
 tem
 perature warning light does not start 
flashing. 
c - Warning light  If the light flashes when driving first check 
the coolant temperature gauge. If the nee
dle is in the normal range, add coolant at the  next opportunity. If the needle is in the warn
ing range, either the coolant level is too low 
or the coolant temperature is too high.  Move the vehicle a safe distance off the 
road,
 stop the engine and depress the 
emergency flasher switch. 
The fan should be operating when the  warning light is on (listen for fan, located in 
front of car behind grille). 
WARNING • To reduce the risk of being burned, 
never open the hood if you see or hear 
steam or coolant escaping from the 
engine compartment. Wait until no 
steam or coolant can be seen or heard 
before carefully opening the hood. 
 
 
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CONTROLS
 AND
 EQUIPMENT 
WARNING continned  •
 The
 engine compartment
 of any 
motor vehicle
 is a
 potentially hazard
ous
 area.
 Before you check anything  in the engine compartment, stop
 the 
engine and
 let it
 cool down. Always 
exercise extreme caution when work
 ing
 one the
 engine. Heed
 all of the 
WARNINGS on page
 97. 
Reduce the risk
 of
 scalding from
 hot 
coolant by following these steps. 
• If the coolant reservoir cap must be 
removed, wait until
 the
 engine
 has 
cooled down. 
• Protect face, hands
 and
 arms
 by 
covering
 the cap
 with
 a
 large, thick 
 rag
 to
 protect against escaping fluid 
and
 steam. 
• Carefully and slowly
 turn
 cap
 one 
turn
 to
 allow excess pressure
 to es
 cape before completely removing 
cap. 
•
 To
 help avoid being burned,
 do not 
spill
 antifreeze
 or
 coolant
 on the ex
haust system
 or hot
 engine parts. 
 Under
 some conditions, the ethylene 
glycol
 in
 engine coolant
 is
 combusti
 ble. 
 If a
 visual check shows that coolant level 
and V-belt
 are
 normal,
 but the
 warning  light continues to
 flash,
 contact
 your
 near
est dealer
 to
 have
 the
 cause located
 and 
corrected. 
For more details see "Cooling system"
 on 
page 104. 
If the
 coolant gauge needle nears
 the 
upper end
 of
 the scale and the engine ap
pears
 to be
 overheating,
 turn
 off the air 
conditioner. 
Do
 not
 install accessories
 (fog
 lights
 or
 in
sect screens,
 for
 example)
 on top of the 
front
 bumper.
 They
 may
 restrict engine 
 cooling. 
 5
 -
 Fuel gauge 
The needle
 in
 the fuel gauge will indicate  the fuel level
 in the
 tank shortly after
 the 
 ignition is switched on. 
The fuel tank capacity is
 16
 gal/60
 (syncro 
 18.5/70)
 liters. 
When
 the
 needle reaches the
 red
 area
 at 
 the bottom there
 is a
 reserve
 of
 about 2.6 U.S. gal.
 or
 10 liters
 of
 fuel left in the tank. 
Time to refuel. 
 
 
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CONTROLS
 AND
 EQUIPMENT 
ROOF RACK  3REAK-
If a roof rack should be installed, note the 
following: 
• Use only roof racks which attach to the 
rain gutters. 
• Always distribute loads evenly. 
• Never exceed the vehicle's
 total
 load 
carrying capacity. See page 150 for de
tails. 
• When transporting maximum permis
sible
 loads, large or bulky items, or long, 
flat
 shaped objects, bear in mind
 that
 they 
will
 influence the vehicle's aerodynamics, 
center of gravity and overall handling. To 
counterbalance these influences, adjust  steering habits and driving speed accord
ingly. 
• When the roof rack is not in use, 
remove the roof rack to reduce wind 
noise,
 improve on fuel consumption and 
to guard against
 theft. 
68 
 
 
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VEHICLE CARE 
=UELTANK 
|he fuel filler neck is located above the  -gnt
 front
 wheel. Syncro model: above the 
-;nt rear wheel. 
mm key A (see page 7) is used for the lock-
 acle
 tank cap. The syncro model has a separate key for the lockable tank cap. 
capacity of the tank is 16.0 gal/60 
:ers
 (Reserve is 2.5 gal/10 liters of
 total 
rapacity). 
5/ncro model: 18.5 gal/70 liters (Reserve 
2
 5 gal/10 liters of
 total
 capacity).  Trouble-free refueling depends on the cor
rect use of the filler nozzle. 
Always
 insert the nozzle fully
 into
 the fuel  filler neck, to completely open the spring-loaded flap located
 just
 below the filler 
neck opening. Make sure the filler nozzle 
is
 not tilted. 
Do
 not
 fill
 the fuel tank too quickly, other
wise the fuel may foam up and cause the 
 nozzle
 to switch off too
 soon. 
As
 soon as the nozzle switches off auto matically for the
 first
 time, the tank is full. 
Do
 not try to add more fuel, because the 
expansion
 space in the fuel tank will be 
filled - the fuel can then overflow when it 
 becomes
 warm. 
 WARNING 
Never
 carry
 additional
 fuel
 containers 
in
 your
 vehicle.
 Such
 containers,
 full
 or 
empty,
 may
 leak,
 cause an explosion, 
or
 result
 in
 fire
 in case of a collision. 
85 
 
 
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[
 VEHICLE
 CARE 
LUBRICANTS  I 
Climate  Tropical 
 40' 
30-
20- 10-
 0-
10' 
20 
30' 
 Single grade oil 
Multi grade oil 
Gasoline Engines
 |B25-565/21 
Engine 
Your engine was factory filled with an all- season high quality engine oil. If you need 
to add oil between oil changes use any high quality petroleum or synthetic based 
oil with correct specifications. 
The following term must appear on the oil  container singly or in combination with 
other designations: "API Service SF or 
SG". 
Engine oils are graded according to their 
viscosity. The proper grade to be used in  your engine depends on existing climatic 
or seasonal conditions.  Refer to the temperature chart when 
selecting engine oil. As temperature  ranges of the different oil grades overlap, 
brief variations in outside temperatures 
are no cause for alarm. It is also permissi ble to mix oil of different viscosities if you 
find it necessary to add oil. 
When using SAE 10 W or SAE 5 W-20 or  SAE 5 W-30 engine oil, avoid high speed 
long distance driving if outside tempera
ture rises above the indicated limits. 
Engine Oil Identification Symbol 
Select an oil for your vehicle which
 con
forms to the standards of the American Pe
troleum Institute (API). A symbol has been  added to the top of some oil containers to help in selecting the correct oil. 
-l  -l 
/ / SAE '. j  -2 
t—i iow-3o jji  -3 
1B25-
 532 
98  (1) The top portion indicates the oil quality 
by API designations. 
(2) The center portion shows the SAE oil 
viscosity grade. 
(3) The lower portion indicates that the oil 
has fuel saving capabilities.  Transmission 
Manual transmission: Hypoid oil SAE 80 (Mil-L-2105 or 
API/GL4). 
Automatic transmission: 
ATF Dexron® or Dexron II® for torque cor 
verter and hypoid oil SAE 90 (Mil-L-2105
 E 
orAPI/GL5) for final drive. 
Front axle differential (Syncro only) 
Hypoid oil SAE 80 (Mil-L 2105 B M 
API/GL 4) or synthetic transmission oi 
 G50,
 SAE75W-90. 
The lubricant used does not have to be 
 changed. 
Should the need arise to add oil, it shoulc 
only be done with the necessary workshop  equipment. 
Power steering 
ATF Dexron® 
Lubricant additives 
Volkswagen does not recommend the  use of oil additives. It may adversely af
fect your warranty. 
 
 
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VEHICLE CARE 
ENGINE OIL 
Engine oil consumption  t 3 normal for your engine to consume oil. 
T-Q
 rate of oil consumption depends on 
re quality and viscosity of
 oil,
 the speed at 
 Mich
 the engine is operated, the climate, 
read
 conditions as well as the amount of  : ution and oxidation of the lubricant. 
Because
 of these variables, no standard 
 •e:e
 of oil consumption can be esta-
:
 shed,
 but drivers should expect an in
 creased
 oil consumption at high speeds 
s.nd when the engine is new. 
• The
 engine
 in your
 vehicle
 depends 
on oil to
 lubricate
 and cool all of its
 mov
ing
 parts.
 Therefore
 the
 engine
 oil 
should be checked
 regularly
 and
 kept
 at 
the
 required
 level. 
•
 Make
 it a
 habit
 to
 have
 the
 engine
 oil 
level
 checked
 with
 every
 fuel
 filling. 
• Lack of
 sufficient
 engine
 oil may
 lead 
to
 severe
 engine
 damage. 
• The oil pressure
 warning
 light
 is not 
an oil
 level
 indicator. 
Always
 heed
 WARNINGS
 on
 page
 97. 
 The
 engine oil dipstick and the oil filler 
neck
 are located behind the license plate 
lid. 
Checking the
 engine
 oil
 level 
The
 best time to check the engine oil level 
 is
 when the oil is warm. 
• Turn off the engine. 
• To get a true reading, the vehicle should 
be
 on level ground. After turning off the en
gine,
 wait a few minutes for the oil to return 
to the crankcase. 
• Flip license plate down. 
• Pull out dipstick and wipe it clean
 with
 a 
rag. 
• Reinsert dipstick; push it in all the way.  • Pull dipstick out again. The oil level is 
correct if it is between the "max" and "min"  marks on the dipstick. 
• If oil level is below "min" mark, or not 
showing on dipstick, add oil immediately. 
• Make sure
 that
 the dipstick is com
pletely in. 
Adding
 engine
 oil  • Unscrew cap from oil filler neck. 
• Pull extension tube out of filler neck as 
far as it will go. 
• Only add the amount of oil needed. The 
difference between the "min" and "max"  marks on the dipstick is about
 1
 U.S. quart 
or
 1
 liter. Always select a quality oil
 with
 the 
correct specification. See "Lubricants" on 
 page
 85. 
Do not exceed the MAX
 marking. 
Otherwise,
 the excess oil may be drawn in 
through the crankcase breather into the  exhaust system. The oil would then burn in 
the catalytic converter and cause dam
 age. 
•
 Push
 in the extension tube, replace fil
ler cap and hand tighten securely. 
WARNING 
The oil
 filler
 cap
 must
 be secure to avoid oil spill causing
 fire
 hazard. 
 
 
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VEHICLE CARE 
Tire
 care 
 Inspect your tires at least every 2,000 
miles (3,000 km) for wear and damage. 
WARNING 
• Avoid
 damaging
 tires
 and
 wheel 
rims.
 If you
 must
 drive
 over
 a
 curb
 or 
other
 obstacle,
 drive
 slowly
 and at an 
 angle.
 Frequently
 check
 tires
 for un
even
 wear
 and
 damage. 
•
 Remove
 imbedded
 material. 
•
 Replace
 worn
 or
 damaged
 tires 
immediately. 
•
 Replace
 missing
 valve
 dust
 caps. 
• Keep oil,
 fuel,
 brake
 fluid,
 etc.
 away 
from
 tires. 
• Keep
 tires
 inflated
 correctly. 
• Mark tires before removing them. 
Remount tires on the same vehicle side 
because
 the rotation direction should stay 
the same. 
• Store removed tires in a
 cool,
 dry and 
preferably dark place. Tires which are not 
on wheels should be stored standing up. 
Tires
 age even if they are not being
 used. 
Tires
 which are older than 6 years should  only be used cautiously in an emergency. 
 Wheels
 and
 tire
 replacement 
Wheels
 and tires approved by the manu
facturer have been specially matched to 
your vehicle and contribute largely to the  road-holding and driving characteristics of 
the vehicle. 
• Fitting and repairing tires requires 
expert knowledge and special tools. This 
work should only be performed by a
 spe
 cialist. 
• For safety reasons, tires should be 
replaced
 in pairs and not individually. The 
tires
 with
 the deepest tread should always  be mounted on the
 front
 wheels. 
• In the interest of maximum safety and 
best all-around vehicle handling, always 
buy replacement radial tires
 that
 have the 
same
 specifications
 with
 regard to
 tire 
size,
 design, load carrying capacity, tread  pattern, tread depth etc. This also applies 
to Volkswagen recommended alternate  replacement tires. 
• Never mount used tires if you are not 
sure of their previous history. 
• Whenever replacing a tubeless tire, 
always install a new valve stem. Tire repair 
should only be performed by a specialist. 
 WARNING 
•
 Never
 mix
 tires
 of
 different
 design 
such as
 steel
 belted
 radials
 with
 radial 
 bias
 belted
 or
 bias
 ply
 tires
 etc.
 Mixing 
tire
 types
 will
 adversely
 affect
 road 
 holding
 and can
 lead
 to loss of
 vehicle 
control
 and
 personal
 injury. 
• New
 tires
 do not possess
 maximum 
traction.
 They
 tend
 to be
 slippery. 
 Break
 new
 tires
 in by
 driving
 cautiously 
at
 moderate
 speed for the
 first
 100 
miles
 (160
 kilometers). 
Applies
 additionally
 to the Syncro: 
All
 four wheels on the vehicle must always  have tires of the same
 size,
 construction 
and tread type so
 that
 the viscous coupling 
does
 not abnormally activate the
 front 
wheel drive. Different tires on the
 front
 or  rear wheels exert additional stress on the 
drive
 train
 components, causing increa
sed
 tire
 wear and impair vehicle control. 
 
 
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