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VEHICLE CARE 
CORROSION
 PROTECTION 
The transmission,
 front
 and rear axle 
 assembly
 surfaces have been treated at 
the factory
 with
 a wax based coating for  protection against corrosion. However, we 
recommend to have the and the underside 
inspected twice a year for any damage to 
the protective coating preferably before  and after the winter
 season.
 Have
 neces
sary
 repairs done as soon as possible. 
 See
 your dealer for correct procedures 
and materials. 
WARNING 
Do not
 apply
 additional
 undercoating 
or
 rustproofing
 on or
 near
 the
 exhaust 
 manifold,
 exhaust
 pipes,
 catalytic 
converter
 or
 heat
 shields.
 During
 driv
 ing, the substance used for
 under-
coating
 could
 overheat
 and cause a 
fire. 
Engine
 Compartment 
When washing the engine compartment,  only use commercially available grease 
cutting solvents made especially for this 
 purpose.
 Carefully follow directions
 print
ed
 on the container by the manufacturer. 
 WARNING 
Never
 use gasoline,
 Diesel
 fuel
 or sol
vents
 which
 could
 damage
 rubber 
 parts
 or
 painted
 surfaces and could 
cause a
 fire. 
Chassis 
The lower body shell of your Volkswagen 
 is
 thoroughly protected against corrosion. However, it is recommended to have the 
underside inspected twice a year. Any de
tected damage to the undercoating, due to  road hazards, should be repaired prompt
ly. Oil based protective sprays must not be 
applied.
 Only tar or wax based anticorro-
sion
 protectors are compatible
 with
 the 
factory applied undercoating. Before ap plication, road
 dirt,
 salt spray deposits and 
oily substances must be removed. 
Whenever
 the lower body
 shell,
 axle,  transmission or engines assemblies  have been repaired, the lost anti-corrosion 
coating of the affected surfaces should be 
 reapplied. 
Your
 Volkswagen dealer has the appro priate materials, the necessary equipment 
and is familiar
 with
 the application proce
dure. Therefore, any additional corrosion  protection work should be performed by a 
Volkswagen
 dealer. 
 Body
 cavity sealing 
All
 body cavities which could be affecte:  by corrosion have been given a thorouc" 
protection at the factory. 
This
 sealing does not require any inspe: 
 tion
 or additional treatments. If any wa should seep out of the cavity when tN 
ambient temperature is high, it can M removed
 with
 a plastic scraper and -. 
suitable solvent. Be sure to observe a 
safety and environmental regulations. 
94 
 
 
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VEHICLE CARE 
Changing the
 engine
 oil 
 Have
 your engine oil changed regularly, 
but at least twice a year (see Maintenance 
booklet). 
This
 is very important because the lubri cating properties of oil diminish gradually 
during normal operation of the vehicle. 
If you drive mostly short distances, or if 
you operate the vehicle in dusty
 areas,
 or  under predominantly stop-and-go traffic 
conditions, or when temperatures remain  below freezing for extended periods, the 
engine oil should be changed more fre
quently. 
Due
 to the detergent additives in the oil, 
the fresh oil will look dark after the engine 
 has
 been running for a short time. This is 
normal and there is no reason to change 
the oil more often than recommended by 
the manufacturer. 
Always
 heed
 WARNINGS
 on
 page
 96 
100 and97-
 WARNING 
•
 Drain
 the oil
 into
 a
 container
 that
 is 
designed for
 this
 purpose, one
 that
 is 
 large
 enough to hold at
 least
 the oil 
filling
 of your
 engine. 
•
 Wear
 eye
 protection. 
• To
 reduce
 the
 risk
 of burns
 from
 hot 
engine
 oil let the
 engine
 cool
 down
 to 
the touch. 
•
 When
 removing
 the oil
 drain
 plug 
with
 your fingers,
 keep
 as far
 away
 as  possible.
 Always
 keep
 your
 forearm 
parallel
 to the ground to
 help
 prevent 
hot oil
 from
 running
 down
 your arm. 
• Engine oil is poisonous. Keep it
 well 
out of the
 reach
 of children. Con
tinuous
 contact
 with
 used
 engine
 oil is 
 harmful
 to your skin.
 Always
 protect 
your skin by
 washing
 thoroughly
 with 
 soap and
 water. 
•
 Always
 dispose of used
 engine
 oil 
properly.
 Do not
 dump
 it on
 garden
 soil, 
wooded
 areas,
 into
 open
 streams
 or 
down
 sewage
 drains. 
• Recycle used
 engine
 oil by
 taking
 it to 
a used
 engine
 oil collection
 facility
 in 
your
 area,
 or
 contact
 a service
 station. 
 • Turn off the engine. 
• Remove the oil drain plug (arrow) when 
the engine is still warm and allow the oil to 
 drain. 
•
 Always
 use a new
 gasket
 when 
reinstalling
 the plug. Do not
 overtighten. 
•
 Fill
 the engine
 with
 oil. Do not
 overfill. 
Always
 check engine oil level
 with
 dipstick 
 as
 described on previous page. 
Engine
 oil capacity is listed under 
"Capacities",
 page 147. 
Local
 zoning ordinances or environmental 
regulations will tell you how you can 
dispose
 of used engine oil. Should the dis carding of the old oil present a problem to 
you,
 we suggest you have the oil changed 
at your dealer or a service station. 
 
 
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VEHICLE
 CARE
 I 
AIR CLEANER 
A
 dirty
 filter
 element reduces engine
 out
 put and increases fuel consumption and 
can
 cause premature engine wear. 
Normally, it is not required to service the 
air cleaner more often than recommended  in the Maintenance booklet. If the vehicle 
is
 driven on very dusty roads, the air 
cleaner
 must be serviced more frequently, 
even
 daily. We recommend
 that
 you have 
the air cleaner serviced by your
 Volks
wagen dealer or a qualified workshop. 
If
 your
 air
 filter
 must
 be
 changed more 
frequently,
 we
 recommend
 that
 you have 
 your
 Volkswagen dealer show
 you the 
procedure
 before
 you
 attempt
 doing
 it 
yourself. 
The
 paper
 filter
 element must never
 be 
 cleaned
 or
 soaked
 with
 gasoline, clean
ing
 solvents or oil.  POWER STEERING* 
The
 fluid
 reservoir is located behind the 
 licence
 plate lid. 
The
 power steering is filled
 with
 ATF  Dexron®. 
A
 correct
 fluid
 level in the reservoir is im
 portant
 for the proper functioning of 
power steering. 
With the engine running, the
 fluid
 level in  the power steering system must be 
checked
 at regular intervals. The
 fluid 
level
 should always be between the "max" 
and "min" markings. If the level should go  below the "min" marking, have the power 
steering system inspected by your
 Volks
wagen dealer. It is not sufficient to
 just
 add  hydraulic fluid. 
 WARNING 
•
 Be
 sure
 not to
 confuse brake fluid 
and
 hydraulic fluid.
 If
 the wrong fluid
 is 
 used,
 the systems may fail. 
•
 If the
 power steering system should 
fail,
 or if the
 engine
 is not
 running
 (for 
example
 while
 being
 towed),
 you
 will 
 still
 be
 able
 to
 steer
 the
 vehicle, how
ever, more
 effort
 will
 be required. 
Note 
Since
 the hydraulic
 fluid
 also functions as 
a
 lubricant, serious damage to the pump 
and to other components of the system 
could result if there is insufficient hydraulic 
fluid
 in the system. 
Always
 heed WARNINGS on page
 97.  "where applicable 
 
 
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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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TECHNICAL
 DESCRIPTION 
EMISSION
 CONTROL SYSTEM 
In the
 interest
 of
 clean
 air  Pollution of our environment has become 
a
 problem
 that
 is of increasing concern to 
all of us. We urge you to
 join
 us in our ef
forts
 for cleaner air in controlling the pollu
tants emitted from the automobile. 
You
 can make a significant contribution to 
keeping our air clean by: 
• Always using lead free gasoline. 
• Not
 letting
 your vehicle idle
 unnecessa
rily. 
• Following the recommended preven
tive maintenance schedule contained in 
the maintenance booklet. 
• Not removing or altering the emission 
control system. 
• Taking the precautions described 
below to prevent damage to the emission 
control system in your vehicle. 
Volkswagen
 warrants the Emission
 Con
 trol
 System in your new vehicle under the 
terms and conditions set
 forth
 in the War ranty booklet. 
Your
 Volkswagen is equipped
 with
 such a 
 system,
 which contains the following major components. 
 Catalytic
 converter 
The catalytic converter is an efficient 
 "clean-up"
 device
 built
 into
 the exhaust system of the vehicle. The catalytic conver
ter burns the undesirable pollutants in the  exhaust gas before it is released
 into
 the 
atmosphere. 
The
 exclusive
 use of
 unleaded
 fuel
 is cri
 tically
 important
 for the
 life
 of the
 cataly
tic
 converter
 and
 proper
 functioning
 of 
the
 engine. 
The
 catalytic
 converter
 will
 be
 perma
 nently
 damaged
 by 
•
 exceeding
 the "max"
 marking
 when 
adding
 engine
 oil (see
 page
 99) 
• push or tow
 starting
 your
 vehicle 
•
 misfiring
 of the
 engine 
•
 turning
 off the
 ignition
 while
 the 
vehicle
 is
 moving
 or 
•
 other
 unusual
 operating
 conditions.  Do not
 continue
 to
 operate
 your
 vehicle 
under
 these
 conditions, as
 otherwise 
fuel
 can
 reach
 the
 catalytic
 converter. 
This could
 result
 in
 overheating
 of the 
 converter,
 requiring
 its
 replacement. 
For
 maintenance intervals refer to your 
Maintenance booklet. 
Oxygen
 Sensor (OXS) 
The oxygen sensor, installed in the  exhaust manifold, continuously
 senses 
the oxygen content of the exhaust and 
signals
 the information to an electronic 
control
 unit. 
Carbon
 canister 
The vehicle is equipped
 with
 a carbon  canister to prevent fuel vapor from
 esca
ping
 into
 the atmosphere. 
The vapor is passed
 into
 the carbon  canister, where it is retained when the 
engine is turned off. When the engine is running, a valve allows air
 into
 the canister, 
and the fuel vapor is passed to the engine 
for combustion. 
The system does not require any main
 tenance. 
144 
 
 
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