2007 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF PLUS tow

Driving with a
Please fir st read and note the introductory
o n page 152.
Headlight settings
Towing a tra
ile r can ra ise the fron t end of th e ve­
hicle enough fo r the low beam s to blind other road u sers. the headlight ra nge adjustment feature
to lower the light cones as req uired . your vehicle does not have headlight range adjustment, have
the headli gh ts adjusted by an authorized Volk­swage n dealer or au th orized Volkswagen Serv ice Facility . Vehicles with gas-d ischa rge lamps self-adjus t to vehicle load an d do not need manual adjustme nt.
Special towing
considerations
Due to th e combined towing weig h t includin g the hi gh er gross vehicle weight, the stopping dis­tance is longer .
Before driving downhill , especially on hills that
a re long or steep, shift in to a lower gea r (m anual
t ransmi ssion) or a lower drive position (automatic
t ra n smi ssion) so that the eng in e helps to brake th e vehicl e. Otherwise, the b rake system could ove r­heat and might fail.
The ve hicle's center of grav ity and, i n
Weigh t dis tr ibutio n i s especially bad if the
tow ing veh icle is e mpty and the traile r i s loaded. If
you absolutely must d rive with this combination , drive with extra care an d at a reduced speed.
Starting off with a trail er on hills
Depend ing o n how steep the h ill is and the com­bined tow ing weig ht, a parked vehicle wi th trailer can roll backwards when yo u firs t sta rt mov ing.
When sta rti
ng off with a trailer on a hill :
Depress and ho ld the brake pedal.
Befo re driv ing
Ma nual transmiss io n : d epress th e clutch fully.
Shift into fir s t gear or drive posi t ion D page 179,
Unlock the par ki ng brake and release it
w hil e ho ld ing th e unl ock butto n.
page assistance systems.
Do not re lease th e parkin g bra ke leve r until the engine sta rt s to move th e vehicle fonvard. your veh icle has an automatic t ransmissio n, yo u can
also depress a nd ho ld the brake pedal for added b raking and then letup on th e brake pedal w hen
you feel th a t the vehicle to move fo rward.
Drive ahead slowly at first.
A lways watch what i s happening up a head
and a round you. Brake earlier than you would if yo u were not to wing a trailer.
Drive especially care full y and accel erate gently. Always avoid sudde n m an euvers and h ard braking.
Be especiall y care ful when p ass ing other hicles. Reduce speed immediate ly if t he trailer
s hows the s lightes t sig n of swayin g. Reduce speed immediatel y if the t ra ile r shows even the
slightest sig n of sway ing.
Neve r try to sto p th e swayin g by accelerating.

Fig. 96 Dimensions of the mount support.
first read an d note the int rod uctory inform ati o n an d heed th e on 152.
Your vehicle is not equipped with a trailer h itch. you must tow a trailer, yo u must h ave the
ca n be pro perly ha nd le d.
The rec eive r set-up on yo ur ve hicle requ ires the use of ball mount togeth e r a ball that meet s
s pecia l re quire ments with regard to size and om etry. Th is app lie s to bot h th e height of th e ball above the surface where it fig. 96 and th e pin -to-ball distance
These dimen sion s are im po rtant because they h elp dete rmi ne th e th a t the forces that a rise during a re applie d to t he receiver and its tachments to th e ve hicle. Your authori zed dealer or authori zed Volksw agen Service
Faci lit y has approved ball mount an d ball th a t
meet these importa nt specifica tion s. you buy a
diff ere nt ball mount and ball, make s ure that th ey
meet t he following specifica tion s.
Ball
mount dimensions
T he drop heig ht fro m th e ce nter of th e ball to th e cente r of th e ho le fo r th e sec uring pin on th e ball mount mus t b e a t least in ch
T he pin-to -ball dista n ce ® from th e center of th e ball to th e ce nter o f th e hole fo r t he sec uring
pin on th e ball mount must b e no mo re th an 7
Transporti ng
inches mm). The ball diamete r must be no
m ore thanl1
/ 4 in ches (31.8 mm).
T he ball d iamete r must b e no more th a n in ch es
rize d Volkswagen dealer o r a u th o rized Volkswag en
S ervice Facility in stall tl1e electri c a l sys te m and socket.
A ba
ll mount and ball combin ation that does not specifi cat io ns can d amag e your ve hicle and may ev en fail in
o r tr ailer hi tch on you r veh icle . The h icle is not desig ned for this kind of
A n impro pe rl y instal led or unsuit abl e trailer
hi tch can cause the tra iler t o separa te from towing ve hicle and result in a m ajo r ac cident
with seri o us personal inju ries.
H ave any trail er hitch retro fit or
dealer or authorize d Volkswagen vice Faci lity.
Th e ball m ount sti ck s out b ehind th e rear bumper an d can cause injury to pedestria ns a nd
cyclis ts.
T o reduce the risk of inju ry in rea r-end
Note
Neve r usc a hit ch b all larger th an inches in
d ia m ete r o n your vehi cle. The ve hicl e was no t sig ne d t o tow he avier trailers h ave receivers
l a rger than th e pres c rib ed hit ch ball. The cre ased loads ca n d amage the trailer- towin g tachment points on the ve hi cle.
Neve r use adapter to inc rease the size of th e
hit ch r eceive r fr om inches to is heav ie r

Note
can use one of these adapte rs if required for the proper in stallation of bi cycle rack or
m ent s are m el. Wh en u sin g bicycle rack s or carri ers make sure that th e tailli ghts are n o t
bl ocke d.
Retrofitting a
Fig. 97 Dimensions ond ottochment points for ting o hitch.
first re ad and not e th e intr oductory information and h eed th e on page 152 .
V o lk sw age n rec
ommends hav in g the trai le r hit ch
r e trofit perf o rm ed b y an Volk swag en deale r o r authorized Volk s wa gen Servic e Facility
B efore driving
Note (continued)
use hitches that a re approved by for your vehicl e and
because cooli ng sys te m m od ification s or th e sta llation of heat shield s may be necessary.
Wh en re trofi tting
traile r hi tch, th e specified ta nce dimensions must be stri ctly adhered to. Under no circums ta nces m ay the distance f ro m
th e road to the center o f the hitch fig. 97 be le ss than th e s pecifi ed min im um. Thi s imum height must be present ev e n whe n the hi cle is full y load ed and subje ct to the maximum tongue weigh
D istance fig. 97:
32.5 inch es (825 mm)
in ches ( 52 1 mm)
inc hes (315 mm )
atleast2 .6 in ches (6 5 mm)
13.8-16.5 inches mm)
in ches
Imprope r or incorrect elec tri cal connection s
ca n cause malfunction s that affect th e e ntire hicl e elec tri cal sys te m and cau se acc id e nt s and serio us perso na l injury.
Neve r connect th e e lectrical syste m of the
trailer directly to the e lec trical connectio ns of the rear light s or oth er unsuitabl e power sources . U se only v ide po w er t o th e trailer.
H ave a ny trailer hit ch r etrofit or other work on a trailer hit ch don e by an authorized swage n deal er or authorize d Volkswage n
An improperly in stalled or uns uitable trailer hitcl1 can cause th e trai le r to separate fro m the
towing vehicl e and result in major accident with serious perso nal injuries.

use trailer hitches that are approved b y Volkswage n for your ve hicl e and
Maximum weigh t
first read and note th e introductory informat io n and heed the on page 152.
Maximum permissibl e trailer
lbs.
weights
Automatic trans-mission
Trailer with _a)
Trailer with out brak e -
Tongue weight _a)
lnfonnation not a vailabl e at tim e of printing.
The gross ve hicle weight ratin g and the gross axle
we ight
pliance label on th e d rive r fr ont door pill ar. The
label can be seen when the door i s traile r is towe d, th e we ight of the ball mount and th e to ng ue we ight of the trail er are
ad ded to th e ve hicle weigh t
The trailer we ight
for
eve ry m ) of additi onal alt itu de.
T ransporting k
g
Manual trans-Automatic Manual trans-missio n transmission m ission
_a) 454
_a)
Exceeding the maximum permissi ble trailer and tongue we ight s can cause accidents and seriou s personal injury.
Never le t the actual weight at the front or rear forthat axle. Never le t the combined fr ont and rear
weight s exceed the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating.
Note
Exceeding the gross weight ratin gs can cause tensive ve h icl e damage that i s not co ve re d b y the manufacturer's
158 159

In this section yo u'll fin d information on th e
ke y p ositions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 4
Starter button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Sta rting the engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
S topping th e e ngine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Electro nic immobi lizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Explanatory no tes in thi s chapter regard
rec t S hift Gea rbox.
Immob i
lizer display
I f a n unauthori z
ed vehicle ke y is used or the
s y s te m malf un ctions, o r Immobiliz er activ e!
m ay appear on th e in strum ent cluster. The e ng in e cannot b e s tarte d.
P ush -starting
and tow-starting
F o r t ec hni cal re as
ons, never try to pus h -s ta rt or
stead w hil e following proper a nd safe proc edures.
Mor e information:
Vehicle key pag e 34
Shifting pag e
B raking, sto pping and page
pag e
234
Fuel page 23 9
E m erge ncy clo sing and page 322
353
Towing and page 357
W hile driv ing
Switch in g off the engin e whil e th e ve hicle is
m oving can m ake the ve hicl e harder to s top and re sult in loss of ve hicl e control,lcading to sion s and seve re personal injuri es.
Brake and steerin g assis ta n ce sys tem s, the
a irbag syste m, safety belt pretensione rs, and oth er vehicle safety features onl y wor k when the
e n gi ne is runni n g.
Sw itch off theengineon lyw he n th e vehicl e is
not m ov ing.
The ris k of serious injury ca n be reduced with
the e n g in e runnin g or when startin g the en gine .
To reduce th e risk of seriou s perso nal inju ry
w hen sta rling and running the ve hicle's en gi ne,
n eve r start the e ngine or le t it run in a confined or en clo se d area. Carbon an odorl ess and colorless poisonous gas, is one co mpone nt of en gine exhaust fumes . monoxide can cause loss of conscio usn ess and d ea th.
Never leave the ve hicle unattended with the
e ngin e running. Th e ve hicl e could move denly or a n unusu al operating condition could
occ ur res ult ing in property damage or personal
i njury.
Neve r usc assi st
The ve hicle exhau st s ys tem and th e ca ta ly tic
co nve rter or diese l particula te filter ge t very ho t
and ca n cause and seriou s perso nal injury .
Never park th e veh icle where the ho t ex haust
sys te m or cataly tic co nverte r could ignit e mable materials, su ch brus h , leaves, dry grass, spilled fuel, etc.

Never leave the vehicl e unattend ed w hil e th e e n­gin e is running . The ve hicle could move sud­
d enl y, es peci ally w hen th e vehicl e is in gear, re­
s ultin g in accide nts and personal injury.
assis t ca n ex plode and ca n
ca use a ve hicle condition.
Neve r u se
Note
Yo u can damage the s tarter o r vehicl e is still
mo vin g, or if you try to res ta rt
Not e (c onti nued)
Avoid high en gin e sp ee ds, full throttl e and heavy en gin e lo ads wh en th e eng in e is cold.
D o n ot push-sta rt or tow-start the ve hicl e. Un­
burne d fuel can ge t int o the cataly tic convert er
and damag e it.
Do not let yo ur vehicle warm up whil e sta nding; ins tead, sta rt driving right away
after makin g sure th at you have good vis ibil ity
t hrou g h all windows. This will he lp th e e ngin e
reach operating temperature fas ter an d keep down
emiss io ns.
Majo r consu mers of e lectricity are te mpo­rarily swi tc hed off when th e e ng in e is bei ng
s tarted .
After starting cold engin e, increased oper­ating nois es may be heard f or f ew seconds.
Thi s is no rmal and
firs t r ead an d note th e intro ductory in fo rm atio n an d heed th e page 172.
Pl
ease car ry out each ste p onl y in the order sp ecified .
Vehicl es with out
Bring th e veh icle to a co mplete
2. Depress an d hold down th e brake pedal until step 4 i s co mpleted.
3 . A uto matic tra nsm ission: Shif t the tra nsmiss io n in to Park (P).
4 .
Apply the parking page
pag e 175,
5. Turn th e vehicle key to pag e fig. 119. th e ignitio n sw itch. out the emergency sh ut -offproc edure
6. W ith a manual tra nsmiss ion, sh ift in to Ist gear (vehicle on fla t surfa ce or p ointing uphill ) or reve rse (vehicle pointing downhill ).
N ever turn off the e ngin e before th e ve hicle has come to
T he a irbags and safe ty belt prete nsio ners w ill not work when th e ig nition is swit ch ed off .
Starting, parking 176 177

Shiftin g with Tipt ronic
Fig . 125 Selector lever in
Please first read and note the introductory info rmati on and heed the on page 179.
Tiptronic l ets you upshi ft and down shift manu ally
w ith the automatic tran smission. W hen Tiptronic
m ode is use d, the tran smi ssion stays in the current gear and does no t upshift or downshift
Push the selector leve r sid eways to the right
fro m Drive (D) po siti on int o theTiptronic position Selector lever o n page 182 .
push th e se lector lever for ward to to fig.
Using Tip tronic with the s hift paddles behind the
steering w heel
Th e fig. wo rk whe n the selector
lever is in Dri ve (D ) o r
shift paddles.
have to move the se lector leve r over to the right int o the Tiptronic positi on.
To upshift , pull th e paddle (+ o n the right to wa rd you.
To downsh ift, pull th e paddle o n th e le ft
T o switch offTiptronic m ode, pull the paddle on the rig ht( + OFF) towa rd yo u and hold it there for about one second.
Tiptron
ic will s wi tc h off a utomatically if the s hift paddles have not been used for
Note
During acceleration, the transmission will
shif t automatically into the next higher gea r fore reaching maximum en g in e speed (rpm).
184 1 85

Brake booster
Th e brak e boo ste r w ork s o
nly wh en the engi ne is
running . It increa se s th e forc e on the brake s above and beyond the pre ssure put on th e brake pedal by
the driver.
If the brake booster is not working, or if th e ve hicl e
ha s to be towed, you have to push th e brak e
p ed a l hard er to make up for the lack of booster
New brake pads do not provide maximum braking performance.
New brake pads do not have the best ping power for the first km) and must be You can compensate for the slightl y reduced braking force by putting more pressure on the brake pedal.
Drive with
Never follow otl1er vehicles too closely or put yourself into other sit uation s that might require sudden, hard braking ,especially when the brake pads have not been broken
Overheated brakes
When driving downhill , the brakes have to
work es pecially hard and heat up quickly.
Before driving downhill, es peciall y on th at are long or steep, alwa ys reduce s peed and shift into lower gear (manual or automatic
transmission) so that the engine he lp s to brake
the vehicl e. Othenvise, the brake system cou ld
ov erheat and pos sibly u se the brakes
w hen yo u need them to slow the v ehicl e down
m ore or to stop.
A damaged front spoiler or a non- standard spoiler can reduce airflow to the brakes and
Starting, shifting, parking
Wet brakes or brakes witl1 icc or road salt
react slow er and n eed lo n ger stoppin g tances.
Ca refully apply the brakes to test th em.
Always dry brak es and clean off ice and salt
coat ings with a few cautious
tions permit.
Driving when the booster is no t working
in creases stopping distances and can cause dent s and seriou s personal injuries.
Never le t the vehicl e coast when the en gine is
switc hed off.
If the brake booster is not working (such as
w he n the vehicle is bein g towed), a lot more pedal force is needed to slow down and stop.
Note
Neve r the by keeping your foot on the to brak e.
Constant pressure on the brake pedal can make th e brakes overheat. This sub stantially reduce
braking performance, increase stopping di stan ce, and can cause co mpl ete failure of th e brake
s y stem.
Before driving downhill, especially on that are long or steep, always reduce speed and shift into lower gear (manua l or automati c
When th e front brake s are serviced , you should have the rea r brake pads inspected
rized Volksw agen deal er or au th orize d Volkswa gen
Service Facility vis uall y insp ec t th e pads through
th e o pe nin gs in the wh eel rim s or from nea th tl1e ve hicle. If n ecess ary, the wheels ca n be
t ake n off for a mor e thorou gh
192 193