2008 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF ABS

Booklet 3.2 Tips and Advice
Repairs and technical modifications
Repairs and modifications must always be carried out according to the
Ele ct ronic nent s are linked toge ther in network s and othe r
sys te m s m ay be negati vely affe cte d by im proper
modification s or improperl y ries. T his c an seriou sly impair safety and lead to
e xces sive wear of components.
th e su spension sys tem can change the way that the airbag sys tem perform s
in a cra sh. Fo r example, using tir e- rim tion s not approved by Volk sw agen, low ering the ch anging the s tiffn ess of the the springs, su spension strut s,
s hock absorbers can change the forces tha t a re measure d by the airbag sensors and se n t to the contro l unit. Some su spension ch a nge s can. for
exa mpl e, increase the force leve ls measured b y the sensors and m ake the airbag sys tem deploy
in cras hes in whi ch it w ould not deploy if the changes had not been made. Other kinds of change s m ay reduce the force leve ls m easured
by the sensors and p reven t th e airbag from plo ying when it should.
We recommend that nece ssary work be
can cause malfunctions leading to
Never s u spension components that d o not have the sa me performance is tic s as the components install ed on your Never use tire-rim tions that have not been approved by swagen.
care, servic in g and repair dures can increase th e risk of personal injury and death by preve nting an airb ag from ploying w he n needed or deploying an airbag unexpectedly.
the suspen sion cluding use o f unapproved tir e-rim tions change a irbag performance and
Be sure to read and heed the inf ormation and all bookle t chapter
32 Accessories , new parts, repairs and modifications

WARNING (continued)
Never reach into the area around or tou ch the radiator fan. Contact w ith the blade s can resuh in se riou s personal injury. Always m ember that the radiator fan is controll ed and can turn on
m oved from the ignit ion.
Never unscrew the coolant expa nsio n tank cap when th e engin e is hot. A hot engine will heat the coo la nt and put it under pressure . mov in g a cap that i s under pressure ca n rcsuh in seriou s personal injury and/or burns.
A lway s prote ct face, hand s and arms from hot esca ping coolant or steam b y cove ring the ca p with a large, thick rag.
Turn the cap slow ly a nd very carefully in a
counter- clo ckw ise direction whil e applying
light downward pressure on the top of the cap.
Never spill on hot engine parts o r hot
e xhau st sys te m . S pilled
Neve r short-circuitthc elec trica l sys te m ,
es peciall y w here th e jumper cabl es are tached -th e balleri es could explode!
Neve r leave any objects in the e ngine partment, for exam ple cleaning rag s and too ls. Objects
Neve r work unde r the veh ic le unless you
h ave safely secured th e ve hicl e from movin g.
I f yo u must work under th e ve hicl e wit h th e
w hee ls on th e ground, always make sure the vehicl e is on leve l ground, th e wh eels arc
b locked from movin g and th e key is not in the
ignition.
Always support your ve hicle with safety
s tands if you have to wo rk underneath it. The
ja ck suppli ed with the ve hicle is not s tron g enough for this purpose and can co llap se causin g se riou s personal injury.
If you have to perform a check or r ep a ir
w hen th e e ngine is running, there arc more
ri sks from
the ro tating parts, such as the drive
WARNING (con tinued)
Neve r to uch the e lec tr ica l w ir in g of the ig ni tio n sys tem.
Always make sure that j ewe lry, loose clothing and lo ng hair do not get caught in
rota ting engine pans. Before startin g any work remove jewelry, tie back and cover
hair, and do not wear clothing that can hang down and get caught in mov ing gin e parts.
Always use extre me cauti on if the erator pedal has to be depresse d to perform
a ch eck. The vehicle could move suddenly, eve n if the parking brake is applied.
If wor k on the fu el sys te m or th e electrica l
syste m is necessa ry:
Always discon nect th e balleries. Make
sure th e vehicle is unlo cked when
Neve r sm oke .
Neve r work nea r heaters, wa te r h eaters of other open names .
A lways have an approve d fire ext guis her nearby.
To avo id electrical shock and personal jury w hil e the eng ine is running or being
s tarted :
n ever touch ignition cables,
never to uch othe r component s of the
high vohage electronic ignition syste m,
never touch the gas discharged (Xeno n) headlights wiring.
Note
Whe n chang ing or topp ing orr service fluids. make absolutel y ce rtain that you fill the fluid s
into the corr ect reservoirs. Using incorrec t fluids will resuh in serious malf unct ions and engine
damage!
For the sake of environment
Service fluid leaks are harmful to the environ-
ment. Reg ularl y check the ground undernea th
your vehicle . you find spots of oil or other
fluids. have your vehic le checked by your rized dealer or a qualified

3.2 Tips and Advice
The brake fluid be changed every two years.
We recommend that you have the brak e changed b y an authorize d Volkswagen dealer.
S top! Be
fore openin g th e e ngin e hood, always
read and heed all page 39.
Brake fluid
absorbs m oisture. time, it will absorb wate r from the air. the wa ter content in the brak e fluid is too high, the brake sys te m
c
ould corrode. Too much wa te r in the brak e fluid
a lso consid erably reduces the boilin g point of the brake fluid. Very heavy use of th e brak es with
old brake fluid may cause vapor lock . Vapo r lock
reduces braking power, in cre ases stopping tances and can eve n cause total brake failu re.
For this r
eason the brake fluid must be repla ced
every two years.
use brak e fluid the s pecification U S standard 116 4. The brake fluid must be new.
Stop ! Befor e working in the engine compart­ment, always read and h eed all WARNINGS 39. The engine compartment of any motor vehicl e is a potentiall y dangerous area and can cause seriou s persona l injury .
Brake failure can result from old or incorrect brake fluid.
fica tio n
(continued)
A lwa ys check with your authorized swage n deale r to make sure that you arc u sing the correct brake fluid.
The correct brake fluid is also listed on the
labe l on the brak e fluid reservoir.
Always store brake fluid in the closed
To reduce th e risk of poisoning, neve r us e empty food or beverage containers that mi ght mislead someone into drinking from them.
A lwa ys keep bra ke flu id out of the reach of childr en.
Alway s change th e b rake fluid as required in the maintenance bookl et. Heavy braking w ith old brake fluid may cause a vapor lock that reduces braking power, increases ping distances and can even cause tota l brake failure.
Note
Brake fluid can damage the pai nt. Wip e off any
brake fluid from rh c paint immedia tely.
For the sake of environment
B rake fluid
must be drained and disposed of in
th e proper manner obse rv ing env ironmental

(continued)
cause cancer and reproductive harm. Wash
h ands afte r handling.
Do no t d isconnect th e battery if the ig nit io n
i s swit ch ed on or if the e ng in e is running. Thi s
Warning
could damage the e lectrical sys tem or electronic compon ents.
Do not expose the battery to direct sunlight
for long periods of tim e, ultrav io let rays can
damage the battery hous ing.
Thi s warning light sign als a fault in the generator.
The warning light lights up when the ign itio n
is sw itch ed on. should go out when the engin e
s ta rt s running.
the wa rning light lights up w hile driving.
t h e ge ne rator is no lon ger charg ing th e battery. should imme dia te ly driv e to the neare st
Volkswagen dealer or qu alified wo rk shop.
However, you should avo id usin g e lectrical equipment that is not absolu tely necessary be­cause thi s
If yo u do not pay attentio n to the warnin g
li ghts which have come on, including the warning messages appearing in the display, th is could lead to personal injury or damage to your vehicl e_
Charging and
this we recommend you
h ave the ve hicle battery ch ecked by an autho­rize d Volkswage n dealer w here it be prop­
erly recharged or re pl aced .
Chargin g ve hicle battery
Th e charging of the ve hicle battery should le ft to an authorize d Volkswage n deale r or qual ified
w orks hop. because your ve hicl e is equip pe d
wi th special ba tt ery that must be charged in a environment.
56 Checking and
A lways use onl y m aintenance-free or cycle -free , leak-proof batteries with the same specification s and d im en sio ns as the orig in al equipment battery- Specifi cations arc listed o n the battery ho using_
in of on page 55.

-the ta illight remove d from th e
hicle on a clean, non-abrasive s urfac e.
-
t h e tabs in the direction of th e
a rr ow a
nd remove th e holder from the rear
page 97, fig. 41.
- Replace the defectiv e bulb.
- Replace the bulb h old er. Mak e sure the
tabs engage correctly.
- Insert the taillig ht int o the s ide section.
- Hold
the taillight firml y with one hand
to prevent it from fall in g from the sid e
tion when fasten ing.
page 97, fig . on the screw s and
tighten the nuts firml y using a o pen-ended
w re n ch.
-
in to the sock e t
until it engages with an audible click. -
the s
ide trim back into position.
WARNING
There arc parts with sharp edges on the
o pening an d o n the lamp ho ld er. Wear hand protection when yo u bulbs.
an authorized workshop . rio us person al injury may result from
Do not touch the o ut er surface o f the bulb heated. thus of
A bul b only be replaced by a of the same ty pe. The m odel identificatio n is e ither on the bulb base or on the bulb itself.
Tip s
When re m ov in g the take ca re no t tu ofyuu r
bulb
removing cover
-the trunk lid.

About this
This information. lips, suggestions
her information you
s h ould be safety of your passenger s.
Make s
ure you keep in Thi s is espe­imponanl when you lend or ve­
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o f be a markets.
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he sectio n indicates whic h models
find any Supple m ents in Lit erature immediatel y
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with this symbol contain important in­formation on safely and how lo reduce th e risk of personal injury or death .
Note
Tex ts w ith this your attention to sources of damage yo ur
For the sake of environme nt
Texts information environmem and you can help il.
Texts with s pecial lips and other information the most and features.