2000 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF Owners Manual

you plan
to
tow a trailer, please remember that your
vehicle will be perform ing a service it was
not intende d for. The additional load will af­
fect durability , economy and performance.
Trailer towing not only places more stress
on the vehicle,
it also calls for more con­
centration from the driver.
For these reasons, always follow the oper­
ating
and driving instructions given and use
common sense.
hitch_ When doing so, seal all bolt
holes to prevent water and deadly exhaust fumes from entering the
vehicle-
Engine cooling system
Towing a trailer make the engine work hard­
er. is important the the engine cooling
system be up to the job. Make sure that the
cooling system
has enough fluid.
Trailer brakes

TIPS AND
Operating instructions
Maximum
Booklet 3.3.
Do not exceed the gross vehicle weight,
which is the weight of the vehicle, including
driver, passengers, luggage, trailer hitch
and tongue wei
ght of the loaded trailer.
ward. backward or sideways.
Never
Tongue
For best vehicle handling under these
changed conditions, adjust the trailer load
so that the tongue load is at the maximum
allowable or sligh tly lower.
You can get an approximation of the tongue load wit h a
bathroom scale or you can measure the load
at a trucking company or weighing station.
Tire pressure
When towing a trailer, inflate the tires of
your vehicle to the cold tire pressure listed
under
on the sticker on the right
doorjamb.
---------DRIVING AND

Driving instructions
To obtain the best and
A rig is easier to operate and
as
as transfer some cargo to
the
considerations.
The higher the speed, the more
weather
or wind conditions-
when going
speed
are
brakes
gear
Use of the brakes
OUR ENVIRONMENT---------21

perfor­
mance and economy
depend on how you an d oper ­
ate your rig .
Befo re you
tow your
yo u and un it.
Backin g u p is and requires pract ice. oppo­
site
of that when back ing your
and the one in front of you. need more room to stop .
T o compensate for the
need
a than turning radius.
When passing , remember that you cannot
be­
cause of the added Make sure you
have enough room to pass.
After passing, of room for your
of both Do not park with a
on a after doing the
Have someone chocks under both
With ch ocks in
brakes
Turn to cur b .
parking brake.
automa tic transmission in transm ission in first or reve rse gear .
you move the
before the parking brake and before the you may require more force
position .
When restarting after parking on a
re­
verse the procedure :
the engine.
the parking brake an d
Notes
you tow a
page 32.
22
---------DRIVING AND

Cleaning and protection
Any is subjected to abuse from fumes. corrosi ve roa d doned muddy dog feet. etc. A new many years after purchase.
rect care
produc ts and can advise you
which ones to use for the exter ior
and interior
of your
Whether you use products recommended
by VOLKSWAGEN or other
agents ,
Never try to remove mud, dirt or dust when the vehicle surface is dry.
Never use a dry cloth or dry sponge to clean the vehicle since this can damage vehicle paint and window
glass.
Use plenty of water to soften up mud, dirt and duster before trying to
remove it.
ge 7. Test the brakes carefully
friendly cleaning products. Any
remaining cleaning products do not belong in the household waste.
CARE AND CLEANING-----------------23

AND
Care of exterior
Washing
The best protection against is frequent washing and waxing .
How
this is required depends on how much the
The bird
droppings, insects, tree resin, road and in­
grime. tar, soot, road and other
remain on the their destructive effect be
High temperatures.
as from strong
Do not wash the
can
ing of the wash water, the type of wash and
care
etc . ap­pearance after going through the car wash
or is scratched, bring this to the attention of
the operator
necessary use
a different car wash.
Under
certain circumstances,
washing and waxing Notes
may be adequate. Before going through a car wash, be sure
precautions such as washed. ing the windows and power roof*.
Washing the
of water and rinse off as as
with a soft sponge,
for very
persistent dirt.
Rinse the sponge or
using a dif­
ferent sponge, if
rinse with water and wipe it off.
To avoid damage to the outside mirrors
make sure that you
Booklet 3. 1.
you have installed accesso­
ries on the roof rack, etc.-it is best to ask the car wash op­
erator if these be removed.

Washing your vehicle with a power
washer
If you use a power
Touch-up paint
Your dealer has touch-up paint for minor scratches and stone chips.
Scratc h
es should be touched up soon after
Always follow the operating instructions they occur to prevent corrosion .
for the power
washer-especially for pres- If a spot starts to however, a simple
sure and spraying distance. touch-up job won't be enough. The at­
Make sure that the jet on the spray hose fected surface must be smoothed with produces a
Water temperature should not exceed The number for the original vehicle paint can 140oF
ning painted bumpers.
Remember: the closer the nozzle is
to the surface of the material, the greater the stress on the
stream. This could invisibly age and weaken the tires, even if they are sprayed from a relatively
long distance for a very short amount of time. Damaged and
weakened tires can fail and cause accidents and personal injury.
tic parts with polish or wax.
see Booklet 3.3.
Waxing
A good wax coating protects the vehicle
paint to a large extent against the environ­
mental influences
listed under
When water doesn't form
To protect bright metal use car wax .
plastic body parts painted the
same as the vehicle body with car wax.
Do not use car wax on ...
matte or anodized metal trim
r ubber or rubber-like trim.
Always read and heed all
-- ------------- --25

Bright
come washing. Remove
spots or dirt from chrome and
with a chrome and
protection.
Trim strips
Dirty patches and marks on the trim strips be removed with a pH-balanced
carry products which have been tested for use on
your
and are not
be used for the
weatherstrips around
hood, rear
doors, etc., must be
to retain of the
rubber and to protect against freezing in the
winter.
washing. b e nec­
essary, use a soft brush or soaked with a Then rinse
faces, such as wax, polish, abrasive
detergents or chemical cleaning vents.
Windows
windows to remove road Use a or an
window a chamois is used for the it
on the inside.
The best way to remove
snow from win­dows and mirrors is to use a brush.
Use a nonabrasive
ice scraper-bet­
ter
scrape in a forward direction­
pushing the scraper away from you-never
back and forth.
Never use warm or hot water to move snow and ice from windows
and mirrors. This
on the in­
side at
mation given on page 23.
26 -----------------CARE AND