2006 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF MK5 towing

An improperly installed or incorrec t hitch from the towi ng vehicle leading to serious personal in­juries.
Neve r in stall a on your vehicle . The vehicl e was not designed for these kin ds
o f trailer hitches. The hitch attachment to tear loose from the
ve hicl e.
When you n o longer need t o tow trailer, re ­
move the trailer hitc h . Alway s seal all bolt holes to prevent water and deadly exhaust fumes entering the ve hicle.
Operating instructions
Maximum trailer weight
You can only tow typical class I or class 2 trailers
with your vehicle.
T he m ax
imum gross trailer we ight and the tongue load must n ever exceed the specifica­
tion s listed bookle t3 .3 "Tec hnical
Neve r exceed the gross ve hicl e we ight, w hi ch i s the we ight o f th e vehicle, includin g driver, pas­senge rs, luggage, trailer hit ch and tongu e we ight of the loaded trailer.
At alt itudes above ft. m), redu ction of of combined towin g weight (ve hicl e plu s trailer) for the beginning of every m ) should be observed.
Trailer l
oad distribution
Be sure the load in the traile r is held securel y in place to guard agains t be it forw ard.
b ackwar d or sideways. A load that shift s can make it hard or even impossibl e to control your vehicl e, parti cularly in an e m erge ncy situ ation.
W ith the tow vehicle empty and the trailer
l oade d , we ight distribution is es pecially bad. If
yo u absolut ely mus t driv e w ith this combina­
tion, d rive with extra
Do not use a trailer whic h has LED (light emitting diodes) taillig ht s. This type of t a illi ght can damage the electrical co ntrol unit of your veh icle.
If the traile r socke t is in co rrectly connected .
damage co uld result to the ve hicles electrical
system.
I f th e maximum power consumption for the
trail er is pag e 15, damage could re­sult to the e lectrica l sys te m of th e ve hicle.
Never connect the e lectr ical sys te m for th e
t raile r directly to the electrica l c o nne ctions for the rear lights or to other unsu itable power sources. Use onl y a su itab le trailer soc ket to pro ­
vide power to the trailer .
Tongue load
For bes t ve hicle ha ndli ng when towing a trail er, adjus t the trailer load so tha t th e tongue load is at the maximum allowable or slightly lower. You can ge t an approx imation of the to ngu e load
with a ba throom scal e or yo u can measure the load at a tru cking company or we ighing station.
The tongu e load incre ases the weigh t of the rear axle and correspondingly reduces the other load that your ve hicle ca n
The max im um tong ue load on ly a ppl ies if both of the ho les o n the o uter upright wall of th e rear side rail are used to secure the trailer hitch.
Tire pressu re
tow ing a trailer, inflate t h e tires of your ve ­
hicle to the col d tire press ure lis ted under on the sticker o n the open ed ge of the
dri ver's door. Inflate trailer tires to trai ler and tire manufactur ers' specificat ions.
lights
A lw ays check
the headlight settin gs wit h the tr ai le r hooked up before driving off. Adju st as n ecess ary so th a t yo u can see th e road ahead but not blind on coming
C he ck and make sur e th a t all veh icle and trailer lights are workin g properly -especially the brake light s.
16 Driving and protecting the environment

Safety chains
Be sure trailer safe ty cha ins are prop erly necte d fro m the trailer to th e hitch on th e hicle. Leave enoug h slack in th e c hain s to turn
corners. When you install safety ch a in s, mak e sure they will not dragon th e road whi le you are
driv ing.
Th e chains shou ld c ross
under th e trai le r to ng ue
to prevent it from dropping to the ground in case of separa tion from the hit ch .
Electronic Stabilization
Always leave th e mak es it easie r to stabilize the
t railer sho uld it start to swerve or sway.
Always adjust your speed and driving style to
road, traffic and weather conditions. Never le t the extra safety that and
A rig is eas ier to o pe rate and trol. Thi s means that th e tow vehicle should be loaded to the exte nt possibl e and permi ssibl e
w hil e keepin g th e t raile r as lig ht as possibl e under the ci rcumstances . Whenever possible, tran sfe r so me cargo to the luggage compartm ent
o f th e tow vehicle whil e observ ing tongue load requireme nts and ve hicl e loading ation s.
The hig her th e spee d, the more diffi cult it comes for the driver to control the rig. Do not drive at the maximum permissible
Always appl y brake s early . W hen dri ving
downhill , down shift into lower gear (selector leve r positi on
The cooli ng effect of th e fa n cannot
b e in cre ase d by dow nshif tin g because fan speed
i s independent of engine speed. Therefore,
Riding in a trailer is dangerous and may be
A person who is not properly restrained in
a moving vehicle risks serious personal injury and even death in a crash.
Never let anyone ride in your vehicle
without being properly restrained .
Never allow a passenger to rid e in a trailer.
Exceed ing the maximum permissible weight ratings and maximum permissibl e trailer
weights can result in accident s leading to rious personal injury.
Never le t the actual Gross Axle W eight Rating at the front and rear axles exceed the
permissible weights. Also never let their bination exceed the Gross Weight
Rating.
Always remember that the vehicle's
w he n dri vin g uphill, you can alwa ys drive in the
hi ghes t possibl e gear wit h low engin e speed. the coo lant tempe rature warni ng light in th e strument clu ster start s flas hin g in red, pull off
th e ro ad, s top and let th e engine idle for ab o ut 2 minutes to preve nt a heat buildup and eng in e
damage.
R educe your speed even more under vorab le load , weather or wind conditions ­
particularly when going downhill.
Be especial ly careful when passing other vehicles. Reduce vehicle speed immediately if the trail er shows the slightest sign of sway ing.
N ev e r try to stop the sway ing by ating.
Always heed speed limits.ln some a reas speed limits for vehicle s towing
Driving and protecting the environment 17

Booklet 3.2 Tip s and Advice
vehicl e handles diff ere ntl y wh en towin g a
tr ai ler because of the additional weigh t and weight distribution. Safe ty, pe rform ance and econo m y will greatl y depend on how carefull y
yo u load your trailer and op erat e your rig.
Before you actually to w your trail er, p ractic e
turning. stopping and b ack ing up in an area away from traffic until learn the feel of your vehicle and trail er unit.
Backing
up i s diffi cult and requi res practi ce.
Stee rin g whil e backing up is gen erall y opposite of that when backin g your vehicl e with out a
trailer.
Keep
more distance between your vehicl e and the one in front of yo u. will need more room to stop.
To compensate for the trail er. you will need a
larger than normal turning radius.
When passing, remember that you cannot erate as fast as you normally would because of the added load. Make sure yo u have enough
room to pass. After passing. allow plenty of room for you r trailer before c hanging lanes again.
Avoid je rk y s tart s, sharp turn s or rapid lan e changes.
Parking
After parking. always block th e wheels of both ve hicl e and trail er. Do not park with a traile r on a slope. If it cannot be a voided, do so only after doing th e follo wing:
Apply fo ot brake .
Have someone place chocks under both hicl e and trail er whee ls .
With the c hock s in place, s lo w ly re lease brak es until wheel blo cks absorb the load.
Turn w heels to curb (ve hicl e facing downhill)
o r to the stre et (when facing uphill).
Appl y parkin g brak e firmly.
automatic transmi ssion in
If you move the selecto r leve r of the automatic tran smission to
position.
Restarting
When restarting after parkin g on a slop e, reverse
the proc edure:
S tart the engine.
S hift transmission into gear.
le a se the parking brake and slowly move away from the wheel block s.
Stop and hav e someone re trie ve the wheel
b lock s.
Note
Neve r to w trailer during the break-in period of your vehicl e.
If yo u tow a trailer , yo ur Volksw age n m ay quire more frequent maimenance due to the
ext ra load.
Always check local reg ulations regardi ng
trailer to w in g.
Applies to vehicles: with anti-theft a larm system and a traile r towing set
Linking your trailer to the vehicle's anti-theft alarm system
The anti-theft alarm syste m will be triggere d as soon as the ele ctrical connec tion
between the trailer
and
or qualified
wo rkshop, if you want to inte grat e your trai le r to th e ve hicle's anti-theft a larm
Connecting your trailer to the anti-theft alarm syste m
If yo u ve hicle was built to include both the th eft al arm system and a trailer towin g th en t he trail er towing package (if available) is
in tegrated into the anti-theft alarm sys te m . Thi s
18 Driving and protecting the environment

Booklet 3.2 Tips and Advice
functional problem s or engine damage could be caused
Warning temperature
The warning symbol lights up if the coolant temperatur e is too high or if the
coolant level is too
Low.
Ther e is a fault if:
The wa rnin g symbol does not go out aga in afte r a few seconds.
The wa rnin g symbol light s up or flas hes whil e the vehicle is moving. Three warning s
This means th at eith er th e coolant leve l is too low or the coo lant temperature is too high.
Th ere may be a m essage in the i
nstrument
clu ste r inf orming you or advi sing you of th e
Coolant temperature too high
Fir st look at the coolan t tempe rature gau ge. The coolant temperature is too hi gh if th e need le is
o ver to th e fa r right on the dial. the vehicle,
switc h the engine wait for it to cool down. the coo lant level.
I f th e coo lant level is co rrect, th e over heating may be caused by a radia tor fan fault. the ra diator fan fuse and have it replaced if page
If th e wa rnin g light lights up again after driving
o n for short distan ce, stop the vehicle switch otT th e e ngine. an authorized Volkswagen dea le r or a qu alified worksh op.
when towing a trailer
If you have to c limb a lo ng g rad e w ith high temperatures in low gea r at high gin e ture booklet 3. 1 and If th e
w arning light in th e in st rument cluster flas hes, stop and a llo w the e ngine to coo l down
48 Checking and Filling
for minutes at idl e. For more inform ation 15.
alw ays read and heed all
Hot steam or coolant ca n cause seriou s burns.
Neve r open the engine hood if you see steam or coolant escaping from the engine compartment. Always wait until you no longe r see or hear steam or coolant escaping from the
e n gine.
Always let the engine to cool down pl ete ly before carefully opening the engin e hood. Hot components will burn tact.
When the engine has coo led down and you are ready to open the engine hood:
-
move the key f rom the ignitio n.
- Appl y
the parking brake firmly and put the selector in ( Park, automatic mission) or Neutral (manual
Never reach into the area around or tou ch
th e rad iator fan. with the blades ca n
re sult in serio us personal injury.
remembe r th at the radiator fan is temperature-controlled and can turn on
fo r a longer p eriod of tim e and the
key has been r emoved fro m the ig nition.
Never unscrew the coola nt expansion tank cap when the e ngin e is hot. A hot engine will

the right front bumper: removing the cover
Take the towing the lug wrench and
the screwdriver out of the vehicl e tool kit in
the luggage page
the towing eye
- Remove the Ph ilips head screw
- Reach into the opening -small arrows­
with your finger and pull th e cover forward
to remove i l.
the towing eye in direction of the
arrow as far as it will go into the threaded
46. the lu g wrench to
tighte n the towing eye.
-
the cover and the sc rew in a safe
p l
ace in the ve hicl e.
-
When towin g operations a re complete,
unsc rew the towing eye clockw ise and in­
s ta
ll the cover.
-
He turn the to wi ng the lu g w re n ch
a
nd the screwdrive r t o the to ol kit.
Follow directions for

Rear towing eye
Fig. 47
without
hitch
-Inse rt the flat blade of the screw driver
i n to
the slo t between th e cover and the
fig . 47 .
-
th e cove r off carefully to the re ar. It
m
ay be necessar y to use addi t ional force.
Lea
ve the cove r hanging on the veh icle.
- Scr
ew the tow ing eye in di rectio n of th e
arrow as fa r as it will go into the threa ded
hole. Use the lu g wrench tigh te n the
to wing fig . 48 .
3.2 T ip s and Advice
Fig. 48 the right rear bumper: screwing in the eye
-towing operations are comple te,
unsc rew the towing eye clockwise and in­
s ta
ll t h e cover.
-
He turn t h e tow ing eye , the lug wre nch
and th e screwdriver to the too l kit.
page
trailer hi tch
On veh icles whic h are fac tory-equipped wit h a
t rai ler hitch . there is no threaded hole for th e
to w in g behind th e cover. The trailer hitc h
must be use d for towing.
Note
Vehicle s equi pped with a trailer towing cannot use a tow bar to usc a
possib le tow the front w hee ls off g round
Always observe the followi ng if yo u use a
tow-rope :
Notes for the driver of the towing ve­
-Turn on the emergency
- Drive slowly at fir s t until the tow-rope is
t a u
t. Th en accelerate gradually.
-the acce lerator s lowly.
What do

hicle yo u are tow ing. Brake earlier and
more gently than you wou ld normally
- Do not drive faster than mph
miles
-Turn on the emergency flasher.
-Move the se lecto r lever or gearshift
l eve r to
the neutral position (N).
- Make s
ure that the tow-rope is taut at all
Tow-rope or lo w-bar
bar. use a tow -rope if you do not have a
tow -bar.
A tow-ro pe s ho uld
be slightl y elastic to reduce the loading on both ve hicl es. Use a tow -rope made of synthetic fiber or similar ela stic
load ing and damaging the anchorage points.
T he ignition
of the vehicle bein g to we d must be switched on to ensure
will
hav e to apply considera bly more press ure to the brak e pedal than you would normally.
Move the selec tor leve r toN.
Do not drive fas te r than mph
Do not tow farth er than mil es km).
a tow truck is used, the vehicl e must be tow ed with all wheels the ground.
Tow starti ng
For technica l rea sons,
it is not pos sibl e to tow start you r vehicle, if the vehicl e is without trical power. The engine management systems may not operate prop erly.
Use jumper cables page
WARNING
Towing a ve hicle changes th e way your ve hicle
h an dles and brakes. To help reduce the risk of
a n accident lea ding to serio us personal i njury, note the fo ll owi ng:
T he drive r of the vehi cle t hat is being towed:
Will have to press the brake pedal
Will have to use considerably more force
to turn t h e s teering wheel, because th e
power s teerin g is no t ac tive.
The driver of the vehicle that is towing:
Must accelerate gradually and gently avoid jerking movements.
Mus t brake earlie r and more ge ntl y than you would normally.
Tips
For technical r easo ns, it is not possible to sta rt a ve hicle with an aut omati c transmission.
th ere is no fluid in the vehicle transmission because o f a defect. th e vehicle must be tow ed
w ith the dri ve whee ls t h e ground.
a veh icle with an automati c tra nsmission has to be towed more th an miles

75
Tire pressure monitoring syste m models) 62
Tire service life 7 2
Tir
es
H epl ac ing 75
Service life 72
ratin g letter code 74
Tire Identification Number 74
Tire manufacturing date 74
T ire specification s 74
Tread depth 72
Uniform tire quality grading 76
Winter tires 77
Tires and vehicl e load limits
Tires and w heels 57
Checking tir e pressure 68
Co ld tir e infl ation
pressure 6 1
Dimensio n s 73
Ge n
eral notes 57
Glossary
of tire and loading terminolo gy 58
New tir
es and wheels 73 Heplacing 73
Towing
front
r ear
T ire pressure monitoring sys te m
models)
Warni ng light
62
112 index
Traile r towing 15
A
nti-theft a larm system Bra kes
chains 17
Technical requirement s
Ti re pressure 16
Towing tips Traile r lights
Transport Canada
Tread W ear Indicator 72
Trunk lid
Hear lid
u
Underbody seala nt 27
Unidire ct
ional tires 57, 86
U niforrn tire
quality grading 76
v
Vehicl e
Lifting
Location
w
Warnin g light
5