replace or remount the tire as soon as possible in order to restore the
correct direction of rotation.
Rotating tires
To help ensure even wear on all tires, regular tire rotation according
to the diagram ⇒ fig. 110 is recommended. In this way all tires can
have about the same service life.
Volkswagen recommends that you have your tires rotated by an au-
thorized Volkswagen dealer or authorized Volkswagen Service Facili-
ty.
Tires more than 6 years old
Tires age even if they are not being used. Physical and chemical pro-
cesses reduce tire strength and performance and cause them to
harden and become brittle. Old tires can fail suddenly and without
warning.
Volkswagen recommends replacing tires that are 6 years and older.
This also applies to tires that look new (an unused spare and the tire
on the compact spare wheel) or that seem to still be usable with tread
depth that has not yet reached the legal minimum depth ⇒ .
The age of each tire can be determined with the manufacturing date
that is part of the U.S. DOT tire identification number ( 4 ) .) ⇒ Tire label-
ing.
Tire storage
Mark tires before removing them to help make sure that the previous
location (left, right, front, rear) and rolling direction can be maintained
when remounting them. Store tires in a cool, dry and preferably dark
place. Do not store tires mounted on wheels standing up.
Tires not mounted on wheels should be covered to help protect them
from dirt and stored vertically (sitting on the tread).
WARNING
Aggressive fluids and materials can cause visible and invisible
tire damage that can cause tire blowouts.
Always keep chemicals, oils, grease, fuels, braking fluids and
other aggressive substances away from tires.
Put the wheel you took off the vehicle into the spare wheel well so
that the center hole of the rim is aligned with the threaded pin.
Turn the handwheel clockwise until the wheel is securely in place.
If necessary, return the vehicle tool kit to its location in the luggage
compartment.
Unhook the floor covering and fold it back down onto the floor of
the luggage compartment.
Close the luggage compartment lid.
If the spare wheel is different from the road wheels
If the spare is different from the road wheels, a compact spare wheel,
for example, or if the road wheels are winter tires, the spare wheel
must be used only in the event of a flat tire, only for a brief time, and
only when driving with extra caution ⇒ .
Replace it with a tire matching the others on your vehicle as soon as
possible.
Please heed the following:
Do not drive faster than 50 mph (80 km/h)!
Avoid full-throttle acceleration, hard braking, and fast cornering!
Do not use snow chains on the compact spare wheel ⇒Snow
chains.
After installing the spare wheel or compact spare wheel, check the
tire pressure as soon as possible ⇒ Tire inflation pressure.
Check the tire inflation pressure of the spare or compact spare when-
ever you check the tire pressure of the road wheels, at least once a
month. Inflate a spare wheel to the cold tire pressure specified for
the vehicle's road wheels on the tire pressure label; inflate a compact
spare wheel to the cold tire pressure specified for the compact spare
on the tire pressure label or on a separate label for the compact
spare, if there is one.
