Booklet 3.1 Controls and Equipment
Parking
The parking brake can be us ed to pr eve nt the vehicle from moving uninten tion
ally.
A lways apply th e parking brake fully when
yo u leave y our vehicl e a nd when you p ark
yo ur vehicl e.
- Use the foo t brake to stop the veh icle.
- Appl y th e parking brake full y.
- On a ma nual tran smi ssion engage
gea r. On a n aut omatic tra nsmi ssion move
the selector lever to P.
- Switch off the engine and r emo ve the
key from the ignition lock. Turn th e
s tee rin g w he el s li ghtl y to en gage the
stee ring loc k.
- Always take you ve hicle keys w ith you
whe n yo u leave the
When parking on slopes
Before turnin g off the engin e, turn the steer ing
w hee l so if th e vehicle sta rt s to ro ll, it will roll
i nt o th e c urb:
• If th e ve hicle is faci ng
turn the whee ls so that they poilll toward the cur b.
• If th e vehicle is faci ng
turn the front
w heels so t hat they poi nt away from the curb .
• As a lways, appl y th e pa rking
full y and
m ove the se lector lever to P.
WARNING
Improp er parking procedures can lead to se
ri ous perso nal injury for you or your passen
gers.
• Never remove the key from steering lock
whil e th e ve hicle is movin g or rollin g to a stop .
The steer ing wheel
will lock up and you will not be able to stee r or control the vehicle.
WARNING
• Never park where the hot exha ust sys te m
co uld ignit e flammabl e material s, such as
bru sh, l eave s, dry grass, sp illed fuel etc.
• Alw ays apply the parking brak e fuJly wh en
parking your vehicle.
• Never leave anyone in your vehicl e to pre
ven t the ve hicle from moving if the parking
br ake is r elease d or selector lever is moved.
• Alwa ys tak e the key w ith you when you
l e ave the vehicle. The engine can be started
and vehicl e sy stems su ch as the power win
d ows can be operated leading to seriou s per
s onal injury .
• Never leave children , disabl ed p erson s or
anyone who cannot help th emselves in the ve
hicl e. The doors can b e lock ed u sing th e re
mot e co ntrol trappin g passenger s in the ve
hicle in an emergenc y. Depending on the time
of year, people tr app ed in
vehicle can be
expose d to v ery high or very low temperatures.
Note
• Please exercise care when yo u pa rk your ve
hicl e in parkin g are as w ith p arkin g barri ers or
cu rb s. Parking barriers and curb s vary in heig ht
an d co uld damage yo ur bump er and re la te d
compo nents as th e fron t of yo ur vehicl e moves
over
b arri er or curb that is too high . as you park
or as you back out of parking spot. In order to
be sur e th at no su ch d ama ge ca n occ ur, yo u m ay
wish to s top sh or t o f h av ing th e front tires o f yo ur
ca r touc h parking barri er o r curb.
• Please a lso exe rcise exce ptiona l ca re when
yo u drive up or d own steep ramp s or drive over
cu rbs or oth er obsta cles, fo r w hi ch lhe ve hicle is
not d esign ed , b ec au se compone nts of th e ve
hicl e close lo th e groun d su ch as bump er cove rs,
s poil ers , suspensio n and exhaust syste m com
ponent s, m ay beco me
Driving 105
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
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
Booklet 3.2 Tips and Advice
WARNING
Sharp edg es und er th e ve hicle can cut exposed
s kin.
• Always protect your hands and ar ms from
cuts on sh arp metal edges when cleaning the
und erb ody, the in sid e of the whe el h ousin gs
etc.
Note
• Neve r 10 re mo ve mud or du st if the
ve hicle s urf ace is dr y. U sin g a dry cloth or
s pong e for cleanin g co uld dam age the paint or g
la ss on yo ur vehicle. Soa k
mud or du st
w ith pl en ty of wa ter before re m ov ing it.
• When rin sing th e vehicle, do not le t w at er get
i nt o t he loc k cy lind ers or point the hose
at ga ps
aro und th e doors, hoo d or r ea r li d. The water
cou ld fre eze and make it
to op en th e ve
hicl e.
• To help pr evenl dama ge to th e painl, do not
was h the vehicle in dir ect sunli ght.
To prote ct t he e nvironm enl , was h th e ve hicl e
o nl y in sp ecia l was h ba ys th at ca n handl e oily
din that is was hed off th e ca r.
Washing the vehicle with a power washer
B e very careful when using a power washer!
- Alwa ys follow the in stru cti ons for t he
p ower washer, parti cularl y tho se about th e
pr ess ure and the spray ing distanc e.
- Increa se the spr ayi ng di sta nc e fo r soft
m ater ia ls and p aint ed bump ers
- Do not use a powe r was her to remo ve
i ce or sn ow from win dows
19.
- Never use concen trat ed je t no zzles or
so-ca lled "d irt b lasters" es peciall y on ti res
- Afte r the veh icle ha s be en wash ed , th e
b rake discs and pad s w ill b e wet (t hey
co uld even be icy in the w inte r) and stop
pin g di sta n ce s w ill be lo nger. Be s ure to
the brak es with seve ral care ful brake
app lica ti ons before dri vin g off
8.
WARNING
W et br ake s or br ake s coa te d with ice or road
sal t reac t slower an d need lo nge r stoppin g di s
t a n ce s.
• Care full y appl y brake s for a tes t.
• Alwa ys dry brakes and clean
ice coat -
in gs and salt coatin gs with a few cauti ous
brake application s.
18 Cleaning and protection
WAR NING (continued )
• Alw ays rea d and heed a ll 8, " Braking power and braking di stance".
WARNING
Improp er u se o f power wash ers can ca use se
riou s, invi sible and perman ent tire dama ge
l ea din g to tir e failur e and lo ss of v ehicl e co n
tr ol.
• Never was h tires w ith a jct that sprays the
wa te r out in a dir ect str ea m eve n at a di stan ce
ev en for a very short am ount of tim e.
Note
• Water sh o uld no t be more th an 14 0' F (60 ' CJ .
• If yo u use powe r wa sh er, b e sur e to ke ep it a
safe fr om the Park As sis t se nsors in th e
f ront and rear bump ers. If yo u ho ld it too clo se to
th e se nsors, you could dama ge th em.
• To pr event pos sibl e dam age
10 yo ur ve hicle,
h old t he po we r w ash er fro m soft mate
rial s, su ch as ru bb er hoses , plas tic e tc .
T his a lso app lies 10 b ump ers . Th e closer
yo u h old th e power wash er to th ese mat erials ,
th e greater is th e force again st them.
Locks
Lock cylinders can freeze in winter.
To d e-ic e th e lo ck cylin ders use a sp ecial lo ck
cy lind er de- ice r spra y wit h lubri cating anti ·
corrosive
Cleaning chrome parts
- Cle an chrom e part s wi th a damp cloth.
- Po lish chrome part s with a so ft, dry
cloth .
You can als o u se s pecial chrome cleaner.
C hrome cleaners will help re mov e surfa ce grime
a nd stain s from chrom e surf aces.
Cleaning alloy wheels
Every two weeks
- Was h sa lt and brake du st off alloy
w heel s.
- Use an ac id free dete rgen t to clean the
w hee ls .
Every three months
- Appl y a har d wax compound to the
w hee ls .
Li ght alloy whee ls req uire reg ular car e re mo ve
road sa il a nd brak e by reg ularl y wa shi ng w hee ls, other wise fini sh will du ll and they
wi ll be hard lo clean.
Alwa ys use a n ac id-fr ee dete rge nt for alloy
w heel s.
Do not u se vehicle polis h or oth er abra sive
u cts . I f prot ective coat ing is damag ed , fo r amp le by s tone impact, th e dama ged area
s h ould be re pair ed imm edi ate ly.
Booklet 3.2 Tips and Advice
Note
To pre vent scra tc hin g chrom e surfaces:
• Do not use an abra sive care pro duct on
c hr om e.
• Do
clean or polish chr ome are or dusty or clean or p olish in sand y
o r dusty
WARNING
I mp roper use of power washers ca n ca use rious, invis ible and permanent tire damage
l ead ing to tire failure and lo ss of ve hicle
trol.
• Neve r was h tires with a jet that sprays the
water out in a direct stream eve n from a
tance or for a very short time.
WARNING
Wet brak es or brake s coated wi th ice or road
sa lt react slower and need longer sto pping
tan ces.
• Carefu lly appl y brak es for a
• Always dry brake s and clea n off ice ings and salt coating s with a few cauti ous
brake applications.
• Alw ays read and h eed all WAR NIN GS
8, " Brakin g pow er and braking
Cleaning and protection 21