2007 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF tow

(continued)
T he effecti ve ness of is also d etermine d
b y the tires page 57, and
is very effec tive, always m ember that your veh icle's handling bility is limit ed b y tir e traction.
Note
I n
order to en sure th at an d ASR functio ns
correc tly, all four wheels must b e fitted with the same tire s. Any differences in the rolling radiu s of the tire s can cause the system to reduce gin e power-eve n when this is not th e best th in g
to do under t h e circumstances.
veh icles wit h powe r stee ring, th e amoun t of power ass istance is regula ted
chanical us ing an electr ic motor. The ad tages of thi s s teering system include the fact that n o hydra ulic components su ch as hoses . oil ta iners, filt ers or h ydraul ic flu id s are requir ed. Furt he rmo re, this is a conside rable decr ease in
e n ergy required . The elect romechan ical steering
system, in contrast to the hydraulic system (which requires a constant flow of fluid). only
co nsumes en ergy when the ve hicle is ac tually
b e in g s teered.
The f u e l consumption is reduced as a res ult.
If the
electromechanical power steering sys tem fails, the power ass is ted steer ing sys tem will still work. If th e engine is sw itched off, the power steering does not functio n and the steering
wheel is very hard to turn.
Indicator light
or comes on
The indi cator light comes o n for a few seconds when th e ignition is sw itched on.
If the indica tor light ( or does not go out or comes on while you are driving, th ere is a
prob le m in the ele ctro -mechanical steering. steering assis t may be reduced (light J or be lo st completely (li ght
swage n dealer. If th e yellow warning light stays
off after restart in g an d drivin g a short distanc e,
8 Smart
With th e en g in e not running (e.g. when the car is bei ng towed). there is a lso no power assist able.
Turning the s teerin g wheel i s ve ry difficult when th e power steering sys te m i s not wo rkin g and it is harde r t o control the ve hicl e.
Neve r let the vehicle coast w ith the en gi ne swit ch ed off.
If yo u d o no t pay att entio n to the warning lights w hich have com e o n, includin g th e
warnin g messages appearing in the d is play, this could lead t o personal injury or damage to
your vehicle .
Note
Do not keep the steering wheel turned the way to the le ft or righ t for more than 15 seco nd s
when th e e ngine is running. Doing so could damage th e powe r steering system.
If th e

light monitors the
lights up when the ignit ion is sw itched on to
s how that the light is work ing properly. should
go ou t when the engin e ha s s tarted running.
a fault develops in the e ngin e management system while yo u are driving, thi s warning light
will light up. thorized dealer or qualified
the
t a nk completely empty.
- Do no t put in too much engine oil
45,
- Never tow the ve hicl e to sta rt use
jumper cables page
you notice misfiri ng, uneven running or loss of power whe n the vehicle is moving, slo w down
immedi at ely and have the ve hicle inspecte d b y the neares t authorized
chapter"Warning
cape int o the atmosphere.
A catalytic convert er ge ts very h ot and can
cause fir e causin g serious person al injury. Th
ere
may be a message in the in strument cluster inform ing you or advising you of th e essary ac tion to take.
yo u do not pay attention to the warning
li ghts which have come on, including th e warning messages appearing in th e d isplay, this could lead t o personal injury or damage to your vehic le.
(cont inued)
Never park whe re
Neve r apply additional undercoating or rust proofing o n or near the exhaust manifo ld,
ex hau st pipes, catalytic converter or heat s hi elds.
Note
Never drive until the tank is completely
e mpty becau se irregular fu el supply could cause the engine t o misfire. This allow s raw, unburned fu el to get into the ex haust sys tem and damage the catalytic conve rter.
the oil leve l is above page 44, fig. 6 not start the engine- t his could damage the catalytic co nverte r and the engine!
To avoid damage to the catalytic converter
37,

For dri ving safely. always follow the specified
maintenance int erva ls in your mainte na nce booklet 1.1 ciall y for changin g the brake fluid. Hard u se, maril y stop and go driv ing, o p eratio n in very dusty area s. trailer towing as well as other tions may make it necessary to short en nance in te rvals-see your a u th orize d swage n dealer.
Your
l ow ing po int s befo re yo u drive off:
lights and turn signal s.
Make sur e that all ligh ts and all windows are
clea n.
Adjust the mirro rs.
Make sure th at the a ir intake slots between the e ngin e hoo d and the w in d shi eld are free of leaves . s n ow and ice.
wa rnin g and indicato r light s whe n
s ta rti ng the e ng in e.
Your personal driving styl e and attitude have a
lot
to do with safety.
Th eref ore, for yo
ur ow n safety:
Wear your safety belts and wear the m
book let 2.1 chapter
Make sure that all passenge rs their safe ty be lls properly. eve n those sitting in the book le t2.1 chapter Passengers not wear ing safety bells
Make sure that chil dren always sit on the rea r seat properly restrain ed by
Neve r transport chil d in a r ear-faci ng c hild or infant seat on the fron t passe nger seat booklet2.1
Adjust you r seat that yo u can easily reach
all control s while yo u are as far away from the airbag as pos sibl e but not close r than
bookle t2.1 and bookle t3. 1
The seatin g position is ve ry important for th e
a ir bag book let2.1 chapter" Air bag
Always adjust the head rest ra int s to the rect heig ht. For maximum pro tection. adjust the
head restrai nt so the upper e d ge is as eve n
w ith the top of your head a s pos sibl e, but no lower than eye level and so that it is as close th e back of your head booklet 2.1
Always make s ure that th e movem ent of the
p ed als is not re stricted in any booklet 3.1 Equipment",
Sto re lu ggage and light it em s properly in the
lu ggage compartment and on th e roof bookle t3. 1 and Luggag e compartment " and book let3.1 and Equipment", chapte r " Roof
If you drink, do not drive!
The use of alco hol. drugs and certai n tions will seriou sly impa ir percepti on , reac tio ns and dri ving ability, substantially in creasin g the risk of an acc ident, cras h and persona l injury.
Do not driv e if you are tired.
Make frequ ent rest sto ps, least afte r every two hours of dri ving.
Always
adapt vehicle speed to traffic, rood and
weather conditions.
R e
member, that especially on sm oot h. slipp ery
roa ds, ve hicl e ha ndl ing and brak ing depend a
g reat deal o n tire adhes ion. wet roads, the
f ront w heels can h ydropla ne, especi ally at
hi ghe r speeds. th is happen s, yo u will then no
lon ger be abl e to steer or brake properly.
Alwa ys observe the p osted speed limits and common sense. good judg m ent can mean the diff ere nce b e tween arriving safely at your d estination and being seriou sly injured in a cras h or othe r kind of accident.
14 Driving and protecting the environment

WARNING (c o ntinu ed )
Alwa ys read and heed all W ARN IN GS an d additional information regarding sa fet y booklet 2 . I
yo u plan to tow a
tr ailer, p lease re m ember th a t yo ur car will be performing a serv ice for which it was not
ra b ility, ha ndl ing, econ o m y and performa nce.
Tra
ile r towin g not o nl y places more stress on the ve hicl e, it als o calls fo r more concentratio n fr o m the driver.
For these re a so ns, always follow th e o pe ra ting
and d rivi ng instructio ns given and use common sense.
Trail er hit ch
trail er hit ch on your ve hicle.
D o not use a bumper hitch.
The hitch must be installed so, it does not
interfe re the impact-absorbin g bumper system. Do not make any ch an ges to th e ve hicl e
ex haust and b rake system s. Fro m time to tim e, check that all hi tch-mounting bo lt s remain curely fas te ned .
When you are no t towin g
Engine cooling system
Tow ing a tra iler makes the engine wo rk ha rder. is important that th e engine cooling system is u p
t o the job. Ma ke s ure that th e coo ling system has enough fluid .
Traile r bra kes
Never connect the tr a iler light syste m direc tly to the light syste m of your ve hicle . Be su re to check wit h your authorized Volkswage n dealer for rec t w iring, switches
you alwa ys have clear v is ion to th e rear.
Maxim um power consumption for the traile r
Do not exceed the ratings given in the c hart
E lectric al load
Max . power
T ailligh ts total watts
T urn sig na ls p
er sid e 54 watts
B rak e lig hts total 84
Backup light total 54 walls
Driving and protecting the environ ment 15

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

is what you mus t do if you going to tow
Inse rt the trailer connector completely into the vehicle trailer socket.
Lock th e ve hicle with the remote key.
The trail er is now integ rat ed int o th e theft alarm system
For more information about the anti-theft alarm bookl et3. 1 chapter "Anti -theft Alarm
Disco nnecting your trailer from the anti-th eft
alarm system
Unlock th e vehicle with the remote key.
The anti-theft alarm sys tem is now ofT.
Note
Mod ify ing the electrical system improperly can cause expe nsive damage to the veh icle's trical sys tem. recommend yo u have your thorized Vol kswagen dealer o r qualified
driving sty le,
Co nditions of use (wea ther, road s urface) .
Technical conditions.
Think ahead when driving
A ve hicl e uses most fuel when accel erating. If
yo u think ahead when driving. you need to brake less and accelerate less. pos-
Regular servicing
B y having your vehicle serviced regularly by a authorized dealer you can es tabl is h the basis for a good fuel economy even you start drivin g. v iced e ngine give s yo u th e be nefit of better fuel
efficie ncy as well as maximum re liabilit y and greater resale value. B
y
adopting an economica l driv ing style and ticipat ing the traffic ahead, you can easily duce fuel consumption by Thi s section sug ges ts som e w ays to reduce th e impact on th e
e nvironment while reduci ng operatin g costs at
the same
s ibl e, let the vehicle roll slo wly to a stop. for
light is
A n engine that is no t properly maintained can usc up to 10% more f uel than necessary.
the oil level every time you get gas consumption dep ends la rgely on the e ngin e load and engine
Driving and protecting the environment 19