
WARNING (continued)
systems work and reduce their
effect iveness.
Applies to vehicles: with Driver Steering Recommenda tion
Booklet 3 .2 Tips and Advice
Driver Steering Recommendation helps to the vehicle in certain sit
uations
The Driver Stee ring R ecomm endation i s a com
pl em entar y function of the ESP. This fea ture al
low s th e driv er
stabilize ve hicl e in certain
critical situati ons. Fo r example in certai n road
s ur face conditi ons ii is necessary to brake hard.
The vehicl e will then te nd to brak e awa y to the
r ig ht or t o 1h e lef t. Th e ESP reco gnizes this situ a
tion and supp ort s the drive r to steer to the oppo-
Anti -Lock Brake System {ABS)
sit e dire cti on by in crea sing th e stee rin g
s tr ength.
WARNING
The DSH only supports the driver in cri tical
dri vin g co ndition s. The ve hicl e will not s teer
by itse lf. The dr ive r is res pon sible fo r steering
the vehicle .
The Anti-Lock Brake System prevent s th e wheels from locking when the brakes are
applied.
Th e ABS is an important part of the vehicle 's ac
ti ve safety system. The Anti-Lo ck Brake Syste m
work s onl y when the en gine is run ning.
How the ABS works
If one w he el begi ns tu t urn too s low ly in r elat io n
t o ve hicl e speed an d le n ds to lock up, t he ABS
a utom ati ca ll y
brak e pres sur e lO preve nt
that whee l fr om locking. When ABS is do ing it s
job you will notice a sli ght vibrati on throu gh the
brake pedal and hea r a noise to l et yo u know tha t
yo ur speed must be adjuste d to road, traffic and
wea ther condi tion s. T his is a warn ing 1hat on e or
mor e of the whee ls is about to lock up and that
th e AB S co ntr ol function has inter vened . In thi s
s ituati on
is important to keep the brak e peda l
fully depr essed so the ABS can help to re gul ate
th e brake applica tion. Do not "pump " th e
peda l -ABS can not do its jo b if you do.
A BS helps you 10 kee p th e ve hicl e und er control
be cause i t prev ent s th e w hee ls from locking
w hen th e brak es arc ap plied. Th is m ean s th e ve
hicl e ca n still be s teer ed and is less likely
on
g rav el o r on fresh sno w cover in g a slipp ery sur
If AB S is not functioning properl y, a wa rnin g
li ght will co me on 3.1 "Co n1rol s and
E quipm ent. "
WARNING
Always ad just yo ur dri vin g to the road, traffic
and weather conditio ns. Neve r le t th e ex tra
s afe ty that ABS can provide te mpt you into
taking extra risks.
• Always drive safely .
• ABS canno t ch ange the
of ph ysics.
S lipp ery and wet roads are dangerou s ev en
wi th ABS!
• ABS ca nnot reduce th e risk of accide nts,
f or examp le if yo u drive too
for the co ndi
ti ons or if you do not keep your distance from
th e vehicle in front of you.
Smart technology 3

Booklet 3.2 Tips and Advice
8 WARNING
• Alw ays remembe r that vehicle alterations
or modifi cation s can affec t the function of the
ABS, BAS, EDL and ESP syste ms. Exampl es of
t h ese a ltera ti ons or modifications include a
diff ere nt wheel/tire combination and brake or
c h ass is modification s =q1age 28, "Repairs and
t ec hni cal modifications".
Electronic differential lock {EDL)
WARNING (continued)
• Changing the vehicl e suspension or usin g
unapp roved tire I rim combination can
c h ange the way the ABS, BAS, EDL and ESP
sys tems work and re duc e th eir elJect iveness.
• The eff ec tiveness of ABS is a ls o d etermined
b y th e tir es on your vehicle
51, "Tires
and wheels"
The elect roni c differential lock helps red uce th e los s of traction if a wheel starts
s pinnin g.
T he E DL help s th e ve hicle mov ing, accel
era te and climb a gradient when t he going ge ts
s li pp ery where m ov ing ahea d ma y otherw ise be
diffi cult or eve n im possibl e. EOL u ses the AB S
se nso rs to monito r th e spe ed of t he w hee ls.
EDL works on ly when the eng ine is runnin g.
EDL can help to ba la nce out differen ces in the
rotat io n of the w hee ls of a ppro ximat ely
JOO rpm
ca use d by sli ppery gro und surface on side of the vehicl e. It do es thi s by braking th e whee l
t h a t h as los t tracti on and d is tributing more
d riv ing fo rce to the oth er d riven wheel v ia th e
diff ere nt ia l
E DL is ac tive at sp ee ds up to a bout
50 m ph (80 km /h).
E DL autom atically shut s
to pr event th e di sc
brak e of th e w hee l from over heating
under excess ive loa ds. Th e ve hicle re main s op
era tional the
way as ve hicl e without EDL.
For this reas on. the dri ver is not in form ed tha t
t h e EDL has been shu t
ED L w ill auto matica lly sw itch on again when th e
br ake ha s coo le d down.
4 Smart technology
8 WARNING
Always adjus t your driving to the road, and weather condition s. Never le t th e ex tra
sa fe ty that EDL can prov ide te mpt you into
takin g extra ri sks.
• When accelerating on a slippery surfa ce,
for example on ice a nd snow , pr ess the acce l
e rator care full y. De spite ED L, th e w hee ls may
s ta rt to spin lead ing to a loss of vehicle control.
8 WARNING
• Always remember that vehicl e alt erations
o r modifi cation s can affect the fun ction of the
AB S, BAS, EDL and ESP sys tems . Exa mple s of
th ese alt era tion s or modifications include a
di!Tcrenl wheel/tire combination and brake or
chass is modifications =q1age 28, "Repair s and
t ec hni cal m odi fication s".
• Changin g t he vehicle su spen sio n or using
u napprove d tire
I rim comb ination ca n
c hang e the way the ABS , BAS, EDL and ESP
systems work and reduce their
effective ness

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

Booklet 3.2 Tips and Advice
Applies to veh icles: with o gaso line engi ne
Catalytic converter
Help the catalytic converter do its job
for a long time :
-Alwa ys use unl eaded gasol ine.
- Never
the ta nk complet ely empty .
- Do not put in too much en gin e oil
40, "Adding engine oil
-Never tow the ve hicle to start it, use
jump er cab les if n ecess ary
85.
If yo u notic e mi sfiring, uneve n runn ing or loss of
power w hen th e vehicl e is m ov ing , s low down
immediate ly and h ave the vehicl e in sp ec te d by
th e nea res t a uth oriz ed Volk swagen deal er or
qu alifi ed wo rksh op. These co nditions w ill u su
a ll y be in dic ated b y an ind icator light
3. 1, chapt er "Warning light s." If thi s
happ ens, raw f uel ca n ge t int o th e ex hau st
sys te m , d am age t he ca ta ly ti c co nverte r and es
ca pe int o th e atmosp here .
WARNING
A ca ta ly tic conver te r get s very hot and can
cau se lir e ca usin g se riou s personal injury.
• Neve r park where th e cata lytic converter
co uld come into conta ct with dry grass o r any
other flammabl e materials under the vehicl e.
Trailer towing
Technical requirements
Yo ur Volk sw agen was desig ned primaril y for
pas seng er tr an spor ta ti on. If yo u plan to
trai ler , plea se re m emb er th at yo ur ve hicle w ill be
p erformin g a serv ice for whi ch it w as not prim a
ril y in ten ded. The addit io na l lo ad will affec t du
r ability, hand lin g, econ omy and p erfor mance.
Tra iler to wing not only pl aces more s tress on the
ve hicle, it a lso calls for mor e co nce ntrati on from
t h e dr ive r.
WARNING (continued)
• Never appl y additional under coating or
ru st proofin g on or near the ex haus t manifold ,
exhaust pipes, ca ta ly tic conver te r or hea t
s hi elds.
39 , fig . 5 d o not sta rt the e ngi ne thi s co uld dama ge
the catalyt ic c onverter and the e ngin e! See an
a uthori zed Vo lkswage n dea le r or a qualifi ed
works hop.
• To avoi d dama ge to th e ca talyti c conve rter al
ways rea d and hee d th e in formation on
=:page 32, "Fu el suppl y".
For the sake of environment
Even when th e e missio n co ntro l syste m is
worki ng perf ec tly, yo u may so metim es s mell
s ulfur from th e ex hau st d ep endin g on th e
a m ount of sulf ur in th e fu el you arc usi ng. T he
s m ell ca n usua lly be so lved by ch angin g to an
ot her brand of ga solin e. T railer
For th ese reason s, a lwa ys fo llow the o pera tin g
an d dri vi ng in stru ction s given a nd use comm on
se nse.
T railer hitch
U se a we ig ht -carry ing hitch co n fo rm ing
trail er hit ch re movab le
ball mount. ch eck with th e traile r hit ch
10 Driving and protecting the environment

Booklet 3.2 Tip s and Advice
Operating instructions
Maximum trail er weight
Yo u ca n onl y tow 1y p ic al clas s I o r cla ss 2
I railers
w ith your vehicle.
T he m ax imum gross trailer weigh1 and 1h e
tongue loa d mu sl never exceed 1he s pecifica
tion s liste d in
3.3 "T ec hni cal
Neve r ex cee d 1h e gro ss v ehicle weigh 1, w hich i s
th e we ight of 1 he veh icle. includin g driv er, pa s
se nge rs , lu ggage,
I raile r hi1 ch an d 1ongue wei gh I of t he loa ded trailer.
I n alt itude s abov e
3,000 f1. (1,000 redu ctio n
of 10% of co m bin ed lowing weight (v eh icle plu s
trai le r) fo r the beginn ing of every
3, 000 f1. (1,000 m ) shou ld be obser ved.
Trailer loa d distribution
sur e th e loa d in th e tra il e r is held secu rely in
plac e to gu ard against shif ting, b e ii forward ,
ba ckward or sidew ays. A load that shifl s can
mak e it hard or eve n imp ossib le 10 co n1rol your
ve hicl e, pa rticul arl y in an emergency s ituat ion.
Tongue load
F o r best ve hicl e handling when towing a tra iler,
adju st th e traile r load so
the tongue lo ad i s
at the maximum allow abl e or slightl y lo w er. You
ca n get an approxim ation o f th e tongu e load
wit h a bathroom scale or yo u can m ea sure the
load at a 1 rucking com pany or weig hing stat io n.
Th e to ngue lo ad in cre ases the we ig h t of t he rear
ax le and corres po ndingl y re du ces the oth er l oa d
that your vehicl e ca n
pressure
towing a trailer, inflat e th e tir es o fyourv e
hicle to th e co ld tir e pre ss ure liste d on th e stic ker
on th e op en edg e of the dr ive r's door . Inflat e
tra iler tires to traile r and tire
s p ec ification s.
Light s
Al way s che ck th e head lig ht se 1tin gs wit h th e
tra iler hooked up befo re dri vin g off. A djust a s
n ecessary so
you can see th e road ahead but
n ot b lind oncom ing traffic .
C hec k and make sur e tha t all vehicl e and
light s are wo rki ng properl y-esp ec iall y the light s. S
af ety chains
sur e tr ailer safet y cha ins are properl y co n
n ect ed from t he tra iler to the hi tch on th e ve
h icl e. Leave e nou gh slack in the c hain s 10 turn
co rner s. Whe n yo u in s1a ll safery cha ins, m ake
s ur e th ey will not drag o n the road w hile you are
d ri vin g.
T he chains shuultl
u ntler t he traile r to prevent it from dropping to th e grou nd in cas e
of sepa rat ion from the hitch.
Electronic Stabilizat ion Program (ESP )
A lwa ys leave th e ES P swi1ched on w hen you tow
a trail er. The ES P makes it easi er to stab ilize the
trailer sh ould it start to swerve o r sw ay.
WARNING
A lways adjust your dri ving lo th e road, traffi c
and weather condition s. Do not let the extra
s af ety that ESP/AS R can provid e te mpi you
i nto laking extra risks.
WARNING
Ridin g in a trail er i s da ng erous and may be il
leg al.
• A person who is not properly re str ain ed in
a m ov ing ve hicle ri sk ser iou s perso nal inju ry
a nd even death in a cras h.
• Nev er let anyone rid e in your vehicle
witho ut bein g prop erly restr ain ed.
• Never all ow
pa ssenger lo ride in trailer .
WARNING
Exceeding th e permi ssible weig ht
rat ings and permis sible trail er
we ig ht s ca n result in accident s leadi ng to se
r ious persona l injury.
• Neve r le t th e ac tual Gross Axle Weight
Ratin g at th e front and rear
exceed the
pe rmi ssibl e we ig ht s. Also neve r le t th eir com
b in atio n excee d th e Gross Vehicle Weig ht
Ra ting.
• Alw ays re member that the vehicle' s han
dli ng will be
by the extra load. There-
fo re, adju st yo ur spee d accordin gly .
12 Driving and protecting the environment