Booklet 3.2 Tips and Advice
help s th e ve hicl e to sta rt mov ing.
a cc ele rat e a nd climb a grad ient in slipp ery con
di tio ns w her e thi s m ay other wise be diffi cult or
ev en impo ssibl e.
WARNING
Alway s adj ust you r driving to the road, traffic
a nd weather condition s. Do not l et the extra
WARNING (cont inu ed)
safety that ESP and can provid e tempt
yo u into taking extra risks.
• Always drive safely .
• ESP and ASH can not defy the laws of
physics. Slipp ery and wet roads are dange rous
even with ESP!
• ESP and AS H cannot reduce the risk of ac
cident, for examp le if you drive too fast for
condi tions or if yo u do not keep your distance
from the vehicle in front of yo u.
WARNING
• Alway s remember that vehicle alterations
or modifi cations ca n the function of the
ABS, BAS, EDL and ESP sys tems. Examp les of
these altera tio ns or modifications include a
different wheel/tire combination and brake or
c h ass is modifications
28, "Repa irs and
technical modifications".
• Chan ging the vehicle suspension or usi ng
un approve d tire
I rim comb ination can
change the way the ABS, BAS, E DL and ESP
sys te ms work and red uce their effective ness.
• The elJec tivencss of ESP is also determined
b y the tires fitted
51, "Tires and
wheels ".
d iu s o f th e tir es ca n c ause the syste m to re du ce
e n gin e po we r - eve n w hen thi s is not th e bes t
thing
to d o und er th e ci rc um stan ces . '4
Smart technology 5
Booklet 3.2 Tips and Advice
Driving and protecting the
environment
Break-in Period
B reak-in for a new engine
The en gine needs to be broken i n during the first 1000 miles (1500 km ).
For the first 600 miles (1000 km)
- Do n ot dri ve faste r than three q uarters
or top speed shown on th e speedo mete r.
- Do not u se full th rott le .
- Avo id high eng ine speeds.
- Do not tow a tra iler.
From 600 to 1000 miles (1000 to
1500 km)
- Speeds ca n be grad ually increased to
the maximu m vehic le speed or max imum
perm iss ibl e en gine spee d (rpm ).
Breaking in tires and brake pads
Durin g first few hou rs of driv in g, the e n
g ine 's in te rn al fri cti on is hi gh er than it will be
all th e m ov in g pan s ha ve bee n
broken in.
For the sake of en vironment
lfth c engine is brok en i n ge ntl y, the life of the
e ngin e w ill b e in crease d and it s oil cons umptio n
New tires s hou ld be b roken in ca refu lly fo r the first 350 mi les (560 km). New b rake
pads s houl d be broken in ca refu lly fo r
first 150 miles (240
WARNING
Ne w tir es and brak e pad s do no t pro vid e m ax
imum grip , co ntrol or b rakin g abilit y.
W ARNING ( continue d)
• T o reduce th e ris k of los ing co ntrol, a colli
s io n and serious perso nal injuri es, drive w ith
s p ecial car e for the fir st 35 0 mil es (560 km ).
• New brake pads do not have th e be st stop
pin g powe r for the fir st 1 50 mil es (24 0 km) and
mu st b e bro ken in. You ca n comp en sa te for
th e sli ghtl y re du ced brakin g
by apply in g
mor e pr ess ure o n th e bra ke p ed al.
• Never fo llow other vehicle s to o clo sely or
put your se lf into oth er situ ation s th at mi ght
re quir e sudd en, hard br akin g es peci all y w hen
th e b rak e pads have not b ee n brok en
Driving and protecting the environment 7
Booklet 3.2 Tips and Advice
Braking power and braking distance
Braking power and braking distance are influenced by driving situations and
road
Worn brake pads will not provide good braking.
The amount of wear and tear on the brake pads
depends to a great extent on the cond itions
und er which the vehicle is opera ted and the way
the vehicle is dr iven. If you do a lot of city
driv ing, drive short distances or have a sporty
driving style, we reco mm end th at you have the
thickness of your brake pad s checked by an au
thor ized Volkswagen dea ler more frequently
than r ecommend ed in the service schedule.
I f you dr ive witJ1 wet brakes , for example after a
dri ving through water,
heavy rainfall or
after washing the vehicle, brakin g power will be
reduced and sto pping distances w ill be longer
because the brake d iscs will be wet or in winter
ma ybe even frozen
the brakes must be dried
with severa l ca reful brake applications.
Brake fluid absorbs water and must be c hanged
every two years. Heavy use of the brakes can
cause vapor lock if the brake fl uid is too old.
Va por lock reduces braking power, increases
stopp ing distances and can even cause total
brake failure.
WARNING
• New tires and new brake pads do not pro
v id e maximum grip, control or braking abilit y.
• To reduce the risk of losing control, a colli
s ion and se rious persona l injuries, drive with
special ca re for the first
350 mil es (560 km).
• New brake pads do not have the best stop
ping power for the first
150 mil es (240 km) and
must be broken in. You can com pensate for
the slightly reduced braking ability by drivin g
w ith care and applying more pressure on the
brak e pedal.
• Never fo llow other vehicle s too close ly or
put yourse lf into other situ ations that might
r equ ire s udden , hard brakin g especially when
th e brake pads have not been broken in.
WARNING
Wet brake s or brak es coa ted ice or road
sa lt react slower and need longer stopping dis
tanc es.
• Carefully apply brakes for a lest.
• Alwa ys dry brake s and clean olT ice coa t
ings and salt coa tings with a few cautiou s
brake app lica tions.
• Always read and hee d all
in "Break ing in tir es and brake pads" on
page 7.
WARNING
Overheated brakes will reduce the vehicle's
s topping power and increase stoppin g di s
tances.
• Always avoid over hea tin g the brakes!
• When driving downhill, the brakes have to
work hard and hea t up quickly .
• Before driving clown a long, steep hill, al
ways red uce spee d and downshift to a lower
gea r. This will let th e ve hicle use engine
braking and reduce the load on the brakes.
• Always c han ge the brake fluid at least
every two years. Hard braking with old brake
fluid may cause a va por lock. Vapor lock re
duces brakin g power, increases s topping dis
tan ces and can even ca use to tal brake failure.
• A damaged front spoiler or new non stan
dard spoile r ca n reduce the airflo w to the
brake s and cause them to overheat.
• Always sec an au thorized Vo lkswage n
dealer or qualil1ed workshop if yo u think th at
you may have damaged the front spoiler.
• Be sure to read and heed all WARNINGS
and the information =-page 27, "Accessories
and part s" before buying accessorie s.
8 Driving and protecting the environment
Operate your vehicle safely
For drivin g safely, alwa ys follow t he speci fied
maint enance interva ls in your maint enan ce
bo okle t =boo klet
I.I "M aint en an ce" -es peci ally
fo r chan ging brake fluid. H ard use , pri marily
s top and go dr iv in g, o perat io n in very dusty
areas, t ra ile r towi ng as we ll as other con dition s
m ay make
neces sary maint enance
im erva ls -see your authorize d Vo lksw agen
d ea ler.
Your vehicle 's condition is dir ect ly relot ed to
driving safety
Th erefo re, always be sur e
ob serve fol
l ow ing points before yo u dr ive off:
• Check l ig ht s an d turn sig nals.
• Check f uel l eve l.
• Make sure
a ll ligh ts a nd all wi ndows are
clea n.
• Adjust
mirr ors .
• Make s ure
air intak e slo ts betwee n en gin e hood a nd wind shi eld are free of
l eaves, sn ow a nd ice.
• Check warning a nd indicato r light s when
s tarli ng the en g in e.
Your personal d riving style and attitude have a
lot to do with safety ..
T here fore , for you r ow n sa fe ty:
• Wear your safety bells a nd wear
pro p
er ly , ev en if you ar e just driv in g in city o r lo
th e co rner =book le t 2 .1 "Sa fe ty first",
c h apt er "Safet y
• Make sur e th at all passe ngers wear their
sa fe ty belt s proper ly. even those in rea r 2.1 "Sa fe ty chapter "Safety
belt s." Pa sse ngers wea ring en
danger not onl y th em selves in cra sh, but al so dri ver and oth er passengers .
• Make su re th at children a lwa ys
on rear
sea t prop erl y res tra in ed by a res traint system a p
propri ate for th eir size and age.
• Never tra nsp ort a child in a rear
c hild
or infant seat on the front passe nger seat
= bo oklet 2.1 "Safety
• Adju st yo ur sea t so that yo u ca n eas ily reac h
a ll co ntrol s whil e yo u are as from
Booklet 3.2 Tips and Advice
airb ag as pos sible but close r th an 10 inches
(25 cm ) = book let 2. 1 an d 3.1.
• The sea ting positi on is ve ry important for the
a irb ag perfo rm ance
2.l "S afety first",
cha pter "Air bag syste m.''
• Always a djust th e hea d res traints to
cor
r ec t h eig ht . For maximum pro tec tion , ad just the
h ead res trai nt so that the upp er edge is as eve n
w ith the top of yo ur hea d as possi ble,
no
l owe r than eye le v el a nd so that is as close to
th e ba ck of your head as possib le = bo okle t 2. 1
"Safe ty
• Alw ays make s ure that the mov ement of peda ls is no t res tri cte d in an y way 3. 1,
c h ap te r " Peda ls ."
• Store luggage an d light it em s prop erl y in
luggage compartme nt and on roo f
=book let 3. 1, c hap ter" Luggage compa rtment "
an d
3.1, cha pter rack."
If you drink, do not drive !
T he use of a lco hol, dru gs a nd certain medi ca
ti ons w ill seriously impa ir percept io n , reac tions
a nd dri vin g a bility ,
increa sin g th e
ri sk of an acci dent, cras h an d pe rso nal injury.
Do not drive if you are tired.
Make frequ ent rest stops , at le ast aft er every two
hours of dri ving.
Al ways adapt vehicle speed to traffic, road and
weather conditions.
H em ember , th at
o n sm ooth, slipp ery
roa ds, ve hicle han dling and br aking dep end a
d ea l on tire ad hes ion. On wet roa ds, the
front whee ls c an h ydrop lane, especi ally at
h ig her sp ee ds. If thi s hap pe ns, yo u will then no
l o nge r b e ab le to ste er or brak e prop erl y.
WARNING
• Alw ays observe the po sted spe ed Ii mils and
common sense. Your good judgment can
mean
diff ere n ce between arr iving safely at
your destination and being ser iously injur ed
in
crash or other kind of accide nt.
• Alway s rea d and hee d all WARNI NGS and
a dditi on al inform ation rega rding safety
= bookl et 2.1 "Safe ty
Driving and protecting the environment 9
WARN ING (continu ed)
• Exceed ing permi ssibl e weig ht ratings can
r es ult in ve hicl e da m age, accide nts, and per
sona l
Driving tips
For th e best handlin g of ve hicle and trailer,
p lease note th e fo llowing:
• A "bala nce d" rig is easie r
operate and con
trol. This m ean s th a t th e tow vehicl e should b e
loaded to th e extent p ossible and p ermi ssible
whil e keep ing th e trailer as light as po ssibl e
und er th e circum stanc es. Wh eneve r po ssib le,
tran sfe r som e cargo to the
co mpar tment
of the tow vehicl e w hile obs ervin g tongu e loa d
req uirem ents and vehicle loa ding consid er
a tion s.
• The high er th e s pee d, the more
it be
come s fo r the drive r to control th e rig. Do not
dr ive at the maximum permis sibl e
• Always appl y br akes earl y. When driving
d ow nhill, d ownshi ft into a lower gear to u se the
e ng in e brak in g eff ec t to slo w down the ve hicle.
U se of the brake s alo ne ca n ca use them to ove r
h ea t an d fail.
• The coo ling effect of the rad iator fan cann ot
b e in crease d by dow nsh ifti ng beca use fan sp ee d
i s ind epend ent of engine sp ee d. The re for e,
Trailer towing tips
Your vehicle handles diff ere nt ly wh en t ow in g a
t ra iler b ecause of the a ddit io na l weight and
weig ht d is tribut ion. S af ety. perform ance and
e conomy will gr ea tly depend on how car efull y
yo u load your tra iler
yo ur rig.
B efor e y ou actua lly
your tra iler, practice
t urn ing. stoppin g and backing up in an ar ea
away from
until yo u l earn the feel of your
ve hicle and trailer unit.
Backing up is
r e quir es prac tice .
S teer ing w hile backing up is generall y opposite
of th at wh en backing your vehicl e w ith out a
tra iler.
Booklet 3.2 Tip s and Advice
wh en dr iving uphill , yo u can alwa ys dri ve in the
hi gh est po ssible gea r wit h low e ngin e sp ee d. If
th e coo lant te mp erature warning light in the in
s trument cluste r start s fla shin g in red , p ull off
the road , stop and le t th e e ngin e id le for abou t
minute s to pre vent hea t bu ildup and engin e
damag e.
WARNING
• Reduce you r speed even more under unfa
vora ble load, wea ther or w ind condi tions
p artic ular ly w hen goi ng dow nhill.
• Be especia lly carefu l w hen passing o ther
veh icles. Redu ce ve hicle sp eed immediate ly if
the tra iler sh ow s the sli ghtest sig n of sway ing.
• Neve r try to stop the sway ing by acceler
ating.
• Always heed speed lim its. In some a reas
speed lim its for vehicl es tow ing tra ilers are
l ower than for reg ular
Keep more di stan ce between your vehicl e and
th e one in front of you. will nee d m ore roo m
to stop.
To compens ate fo r th e traile r, yo u w ill n eed a
l a rger than normal tu rning
When passing , reme mber that you can not acce l
erate as fast as you normall y wou ld because of
t h e added load. Make sur e yo u ha ve enough
room to pas s. After passing, allow plen ty of room
fo r yo ur tr aile r befor e changing la nes aga in.
Avoid jerk y s tart s, sharp turns or rapid lan e
c h ange s.
Driving and protecting the env ironment 13
Booklet 3.2 Tips and Advice
Cellular phones and CB radios
will need an antenna for cellular phones and CB radio s
Volk swa gen h as a pproved your vehicle fo r use
w ith cellul ar phon es and CB r adio s prov iding
th e fo llowi ng co ndition s:
• correc t in sta ll ation of outside antenn a,
• transm itting pow er is no more than a m ax
imum of
JO wa tts.
A n outs ide ante nna is nee ded
g ive the eq uip
m ent it s opt imal range and pr eve lll in terfer
ence with elec troni cs in th e vehicle.
I f y ou want to use a ce llul ar phone or a CB ra dio
w ith a tran smillin g powe r g re at er than 10 watts,
fir st ch eck wit h a auth orize d Vo lksw agen dea le r.
Ce llul ar phone s and CB radios s houl d be in
s ta lled only by a qualified worksh op or by your
a uthori zed Vo lkswage n deale r.
Carefu lly fo llow the o perat ing in stru ction s for
yo ur cellula r te lep hon e or CB radi o.
WARNING
• Always concentrate on your driving, and the road. Driver di str act ion causes acci
dents!
• Alwa ys set v olume le vels so that you can
clearl y hear horn s, sire n s a nd oth er warning
sounds outside the vehicle.
WARNING (continued )
• Using a cellul ar te lephone or CB radio in
side the vehicle without having a separate out
s ide antenna can be dangerous to your health
and that of your passengers because th e elec
tromagnetic radiation energy that the se de
vice s emit may be above esta blish ed limit s.
• Never attach anything, including acce sso
ries (for example cup holders or teleph one
brackets) to the airbag covers or within the
airbag d eployment zone.
• Objects on or near the surface s where air
bags are located can come loo se and cause se
riou s personal injury
if the airbag deploy s 2.1 "Safety first", chapter "Airbag
system."
Note
Improper in stallation of cellular te le phon es, CB
ra dios or other electro nic compon ent s can
ca use oth er ve hicl e systems to malfunction. Th e
m os t co mmon causes of fault s ar e:
• no ex te rnal
• incorrec tly insta lled ex te rnal antenna,
• tran smitting power in excess of 10 wa tts.
Accessories, new parts, repairs and modifications 29
Booklet 3 .2 Tips and Advice
Checking and Filling
Filling the tank
fuel filler flap opens from inside the vehicle. The fuel tank holds 14 .5 gallons
(55 Liters).
Fig . 1 Detail of the driver door: the fuel fil ler flop re
lease button
Opening the fuel filler flap
- Pull the switc h 00) in th e drive r doo r
back
I. T he fu el fill er flap i s re leased .
- Open the fuel filler flap and turn th e
tank cap counte r-cloc kw ise.
- Hook t he fill er cap to the top of the filler
flap
2 .
Clo sing the fuel filler flap
- Screw o n the fuel fi lle r ne ck clockwise
until you hea r it cl ick into position.
- Alway s m ake s ure the fi ller cap i s
screwe d on a ll way.
- Close the fuel fi ller flap. Make sure you
h ear it cli ck into place.
The fue l filler flap is at the re ar of the vehicle on
th e right re ar qua rter pan el.
Whe n the tex t Pleas e refuel! appears in the in
s trum ent clu ste r, th ere a re still abo ut
gallons
30 Checking and Filling
Fig. 2 Open fuel filler flap with f iller cap attached
to the flop
(7 liter s) of gas in the tank. A warning chi me w ill
a lso so und.
An indi cator lig ht (if availab le) in the in st rum ent
cluster w ill come on if the fu el fi ller cap is not
properly clos ed
3.1 "C ontrol s and
Eq uipment."
T he automat ic filler nozzle s hould switc h itself
when the tank is " full ". Do not try to put in
mor e gas after the pump stops. To ppin g off the
ta nk in this
will fill the expa nsion chamb er
i n th e gas tank and causes th e fuel to ove rflow
w hen the temperature ri ses.
The correct grade of fuel for your vehicle is
s h own o n
sti cker on the insid e of the fuel filler
flap. For mor e informatio n on fu el 3.3
" T ec hnical da ta ."
Specia l indications far diesel engines
Your diesel vehi cle ha s a filler neck for a sta ndard
s ized fuel noz zle. Onl y fuel the v ehicl e usin g a
s tan dard sized fuel nozz le. Some s tandard filler
no zzles have a sprin g that preve nts the nozzle
from reaching complete ly ins ide t he ve hicl e's
fille r neck. However, it is poss ible to t h e nozzl e up to wh ere the spring beg ins, an d
Booklet 3.2 Tips and Advice
The electrolyte level be checked reg ularly in high-mileage vehicles, in hot
cou ntri es and in older batteries.
- Open the engine hood and open the
batt ery cover at the front.
- C heck th e co lor display in the round
w ind ow at the top of the battery.
- If there are air bubb les in the window,
tap the w indow gent ly un til they disp erse .
Th e positio n of th e battery is sh ow n in th e corre
spo ndin g engine compart ment diagram
3.3. Th
e ro und window ("magic eye '') on th e to p of
t h e batt ery chang es color, d epending on the
c harg e le vel and ele ctrolyt e le vel of the ba ttery.
I f th e c olor in the w indow i s co lor less or bri gh t
ye llow . the elec trol yte le vel of the battery is to o
I la ve the ba tte1y ch ec ked by a q ualifi ed
d eal ers hip ..
The col ors g ree n and b la ck ar c use d b y the work
s h op t o diagno se the battery.
Charging and replacing vehicle batteries
All work with the vehicle battery req uir es specia l know ledge.
Have th e batteries checked by auth orized
Vo lkswagen deale r o r qua lified workshop be
t ween regular ma inten an ce i nt erva ls if you of te n
driv e short distance s or i f th e vehicle is not
driven for lo ng peri ods.
I f the bat te ry has discharged and you have prob
l ems starting th e ve hicle, the battery might be
damaged . If thi s happens, we re comme nd you
h ave the ve hicle batte ry c hecked by an autho
ri ze d Vol kswag en dealer
it w ill he erly recha rged o r re pla ced.
C har ging vehicle batteries
T he c har ging of the vehicl e batt eri es s hould be
l ef t to an aut horized Vo lkswage n deale r o r qual
ifi ed workshop, b ecau se your ve hicle is
equipp ed w ith specia l batteri es th at mu st b e
charg ed in a contro lled e nvironm ent.
50 Checking and Filling
Rep lacing a battery
T he batt eries have been specia lly deve lo ped for
th eir lo cat io ns and they have specia l sa fe ty fea
Genui ne Volkswage n batte ries me et th e m aint e
nan ce, and safety sp ecificat io ns
fo r you r ve hicl e.
WARNING
• u se on ly maint en an ce -fr ee or
cycle -free, leak-proof batteries with the same
s pecification s and dimen sions as the ori ginal
e quipm ent batt ery. S pecifi cation s are liste d
on the batt ery hous ing.
• Before sta rtin g
work on th e batteries,
a lways rea d and heed a ll in
"Loca tion of battery" on page 49.