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
Regular servicing
By hav ing ve hicl e serviced reg ularly by an
aut horiz ed Volksw age n dea le r yo u ca n es tab lish
th e bas is for a good fuel eco nomy even
before yo u start driving. A we ll maint ain ed an d se rv ic ed
e n gi ne g ives you t he be nefit of bett er fu el effi
cie ncy as well as maximum re liabi liry and a
g rea ter res ale val ue.
Short distances
T he engi ne and catal ytic conve rter mu st reach
the ir o ptim al o p eratin g te m pe ratur e befo re y ou
se e a sig n ifi ca nt reduc tio n in exhaus t emi ssions.
A cold engin e will use m ore fuel until it rea ch es
it 's ope ra ting t emp eratur e at whic h po int th e
Warranty coverages
Yo ur Volkswagen is covered by th e follow in g
warra nties:
• Li mited New Ve hicle Warranty
• L imited Powertrain Warra nty
• Li mited Warra nty Aga in st Co rrosion Perfora
t io n
• Emi ssio ns Cont rol Sys tem Warranry
Booklet 3.2 Tip s and Advice @
An eng in e th at is no t p rop erl y ma intained can
use up to 10 % more fuel than ne cessary.
Check the oil l eve l eve ry tim e you ge t gas
39. Oil co nsumpti on d ep end s la rge ly on
t h e engine load a nd eng in e
fuel consump tion will impro ve. A lso imp ortant
i s the out sid e tempera ture. Th e co ld er the out
s id e te m peratur e, the g rea te r th e fu el
• Emi ssio ns Perfor mance Wa rranty
• Califo rnia Emi ssions Co ntrol Warranty (U SA
ve hicl es only)
• California E missio ns Perfo rmanc e Warranty
( U SA veh icles only)
Det ail ed informa tion regarding your wa rranties
ca n b e found in your Wa rra nty
Driving and prot ecti ng the envi ronm ent 15
® Booklet 3.2 Tips and Advice
Cleaning and protection
General notes
Regular washing and care help maintain value of your vehicle.
Regular care
Reg ular and expert ca re help s a ve hicl e to kee p
it s va lu e. Th is ma y als o be o ne of th e re qu ire
m ent s of
New Ve hicle Warrant y in the eve nt
of corro sio n r ep air s or if re painting should be
n ec essary.
Th e bes t way to pr otec t the ve hicl e aga inst en vi
ronm ental contamin ant s is
to w as h and wax it freq11 e111/ y. The long er thin gs lik e in sec ts. bird
droppin gs, tree sap , road dirt , indu stri al d e
p os its, ta r, s oo t or ro ad salt and oth er a ggress ive
m ate rial s stay on the ve hicle, the mor e dama ge
the y do to th e pa int. Hi gh t emp eratur es (in
clud ing s tron g sunlight ) in cre a se corro sive ef
fec ts .
A ft er roa ds have bee n salt ed it i s imp ortant
to w ash th e und erbody of th e ve hicle th orou ghl y.
Vehicle care products
Veh icle care product s are ava ilable from your
authori zed Volk swagen d eale r. K eep the produ ct
in struc tion s until you hav e use d up th e produ ct.
WARNING
Ve hicle care products can be dangerou s. Im
proper use can result in seriou s personal in
ju ry and /or poisoning.
• Always store vehicle care produ cts in a sa fe
place in original-containers that are securely
closed .
• To reduce the risk of poisoning, never use
empty food or beverage container s that might
mi slead so meone into drinking from them.
• Alwa ys keep vehicl e care products out of
the r eac h of c hildren .
16 Cleaning and protection
WARNING ( continu ed)
• Always read and heed all the instru ction s
a nd a ll WARN IN GS on the package before
u sing veh icle ca re products.
• When using product s w hi ch g ive off
ha rmfu l fume s, always work outdoor s or in a
we ll ventilated area.
• Neve r use fuel , turpentine, en gine oil,
poli sh remover or other vo latile nuid s for ve
hicl e care. They arc poisonou s and highly
flammable. They could cause
and exp lo
s ion s!
WARNING
Unintended vehicle mo vement can cause se
rious per so n al inju ry.
• Alway s turn ofTthe eng ine, apply th e
parking brake
and remov e th e ke y from
the ignition b efore wa shin g your veh icle, or
pe rform ing any maint enance or repair s.
Note
Neve r try
10 re mo ve dirt, mud or du st if th e ve
hicl e surface is dr y. Usin g dry cl oth or spon ge
fo r cl ea ning cou ld dama ge th e paint or glas s o n
yo ur vehicl e. So ak d irt, mud or du st w ith plent y
wat er befor e re m ovin g it.
For th e sake of environment
• Wh en bu yin g v eh icle car e produ cts , try to se
l ec t tho se that are not harmfu l to the environ
m ent.
• Never di spo se vehicl e ca re pro duct s with or
d ina ry house hold was te . A lw ays follo w the man
ufa ctu re r's instru ctio n s and hee d all
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.
Booklet 3 .2 T ips and Advice
Waxing the vehicle
Waxing your ve hicle regu larly protects the paint.
Appl y wax to your ve hicle if wat er doe s 1101 fo rm
s ma ll drop s an d run when the pain t is cle a11.
Good qualit y is ava ilab le from yo ur tho rize d Vo lk swagen dealer.
A goo d coa t of wax help s to protect the pai nt
fr om e nviro nm ent al pollu tio n and more agg res
s ive dirt
16, "Ge nera l notes" . also hel ps
t o pro tec t agains t m inor scratc h es .
Polishing the paint
Polishing h elps r esto re paint gloss.
Polishing is necessa ry if th e pai nt h as lost it s
s hin e, and you cannot get th e g loss back with
wax. Your autho rized Vo lk swage n dea le r has
p olish th at i s right for you r ve hicle.
T he ve hicle must be waxed
po lish ing if the
poli sh u sed d oes 110 1 co ntain wax comp ound s to
sea l th e paint 19, "W axing t he veh icle".
Ca ring for plastic parts
Solvents will da mag e plastic parts.
you can not clean pl astic part s by nor mal
w ash in g. clea n th em with speci al so lve nt-fr ee
pl as tic clea ning produ cts . E
ve n if a wax so lution i s used reg ular ly at th e ca r
was h, it i s adv isa ble to prote ct th e paint with a
coa t o f hard wax at leas t twice a year.
Tip s
T o pr eve nt dama ge: Do no t wax or polish
light s and rear light s.
Note
To damage to th e pa in t:
• Do not wax or po lish matt e fini sh es a nd
plastic parts.
• Do not wax or po lish you r ve hicle if it is dusty
or dir ty or in a sa ndy or dusty en vironm ent.
Note
C lea nin g product s th at contain so lve nts w ill
dam age plas tic part s.
Cleaning windows and outside mirrors
Cleaning windows
-Damp en the window s w ith comm er
cia lly avai lab le , a lco hol-ba sed glass
cleaner .
- Dry the windows with a clea n chamoi s
or a lint-fr ee clo th.
Removing snow
- Use a sma ll bru sh to re mov e sno w from
th e w indo ws and mirror s.
Removing ice
- Use a de-ic er spray.
Use a clean cloth t o dry the win dows. The
c ham ois leather, which was use d to wipe pa int
s urfa ces, co ntains oily resid ue from pro tec tiv e
age nts and wou ld sm ear the
If possib le use a de ic in g spray to re mo ve If
you have use an ice scrape r, pus h it onl y in
o ne direction - away from you
Cleaning and protection 19
Booklet 3.2 Tips and Advice
Use windo w clean er o r a s ilicon e re mo ver to re
mo ve rubb er, oil , gre a se and sili con e depo sit s.
Wax d epo sit s have to be re m ove d w it h a sp ecial
cl ea ner.
d ep os its o n th e w indshi eld co uld
cau se the w ip er bl ad es to rub. windo w clea ner
s p ec ifica lly fo r re m ov ing w ax w ill stop th e bla d es
fr om rubbin g if add ed to the w in dshi eld was h
wa te r. Gr ease re m ov ing cl ea ners w ill n ot re m ove
depo sit s.
WARNING
P oor v isib ility in creases the risk of co lli sion s
a nd other acciden ts.
Cleaning windshi eld wiper blades
Wiper bl ades b e clean ed re gularly.
C le an wip e r b lad es a re important so th at
y ou ca n see .
Use a so ft clot h to r em ove dust and dirt
from the w in dsh ie ld wip er blad es.
Care of rubber gaskets
WARNING (continued)
• Always make s ure a ll wind ows are clear of
i ce, s now, and cond ensatio n for good visib ility
out the wind shi eld , s ide and rear wind ows.
pr eve nt dirt from bein g ground a gainst th e gl ass
when you pu ll the scrap er ba ck tow ard s yo u ...
U se wi ndow clean er to clea n th e wind
s h ie ld wiper blade s. U se a sponge or a
cloth to remo ve stubborn dirt.
46. _,.
If g ask ets a re w ell maintain ed, the y will not fre eze as e asily .
Use a sof t cloth to r emove du st and dirt
f rom the rubber gaske ts.
Spra y rubb er gasket s wi th ur
u se anoth er ve hicle care produ ct to k eep
th em sof t an d pr eve nt fr e ezin g.
20 Cleaning and protection
The ru bber sea ls on the d oors, wi ndows etc. will
r e m ain pli ab le and la st lon ger if trea te d
with a sui table produ ct (fo r ex ample sili
co ne spra y).
C ar in g for rub ber se als w ill also preve nt pr ema
ture a gin g and lea ks. T he doors w ill be eas ie r lo
o pe n. If ru bb er sea ls are we ll ma intain ed ,
w ill n ot free ze a s eas ily in wint er._,.
Booklet 3.2 Tips and Advice
Chassis
The unde rbody of the v eh icle is coated to help p rotect it from corrosion and
damage.
The und ercoat in g co uld be damag ed d uring
n ormal use. We recommend 1h a1 1h e und er
coali ng on th e ve hicl e and 1h e prot ec1ive c oat
in gs o n 1he s usp ension be inspec 1e d . a nd re
pa ired if necessary, befo re and afte r 1h c wint er
seaso n.
R ep a ir wor k and ad
Booklet 3.2 Tips and Advice
Do no t let your Diese l e n gin e idl e u1111 ecessa rily
afte r a co ld start. Drivin g off s low ly wi ll sho rten
th e wa rm -up peri od.
WARNING
• Neve r use "s tarting a ssist fluid s". The y
may be pot entiall y explosive or cause a "run
away" engine condition. This could result in
ser ious engine damage and personal injury.
• Do not use fuel line antifreeze offered for
gasoline engines.
Note
• Your Diese l engi ne ha s bee n sp eci fica lly de
s ig ned
10 ope rate o n Die sel fu el o nl y. T here fore.
n eve r use home hea tin g oil o r reg ular gaso line.
Th e pro p erti es of th ese fuels
ca use se rious
damage fuel injection sys tem and th e
e n gin e. This could l ead to additional expense
and will al so affe ct your warrant y.
• If Die sel fuel should get o n any rubb er h ose,
it
b e w ip ed off imm ediat ely . T he n wash th e
con ta minat ed hose port io n w ith so ap and warm
wa te r. Do not allow D iesel f uel
remain on co n
n ec ting hoses . Th ey may de velop leaks and
ca use se rious damage.
be taken when worki ng on engine or on components the
engine compartment.
an y work on the engine or
in th e engi ne compartment:
I. Move the se lecto r l eve r P (Park ).
2 . App ly the parking brake firm ly .
3. Sw itch off the engi ne a nd re mo ve the
key from th e igni tion.
4. Wai t for the engine lo coo l d ow n.
5. Keep children and oth ers awa y fro m the
vehicle.
6 . Open the eng ine hood
36 .
All se rv ice fluid s, spark plugs. bau er ies etc. a rc
co nstantl y being deve lo ped and improved. Au
th ori zed Volkswage n dea le rs a re kept up- to-da te
by the m anufa ctur er. For this reaso n
recom
m end that you h ave these re placed b y an autho
ri zed Volkswagen dea le r. P lease re ad th e notes
bel ow. The engin e co mpartment of an y m otor
vehicle is a hazardous
WARNING
Propo sition 65 Warning:
34 Checking and Filling
Lt::, WARNING
• Eng ine ex hau st, some of its cons tituent s,
and certain vehicle components contain or
em it chemica ls known to the Stale of Ca li
forn ia
cause ca ncer and birth defe cts and
r e produ cti ve harm. In addition , cer tain fluid s
co ntained in vehicle s and certain product s of
c omponent wear contain or emit chemical s
known lo the Stale of California to cau se
cancer and birth defects or other reproductive
h ar m.
• Batter y posts, terminals and related acces
so rie s co ntain le ad and lead compon ent s,
c h emi cal s known to th e S tate of Ca lifornia
cau se cancer and reprodu cti ve harm . Was h
hand s hand ling.
WARNING
The en g ine compa rtment of an y motor vehicle
i s a pot entiall y dangerou s area and ca n ca use
s er io us per sonal injury.
• Always use extrem e ca ution when doin g
an y wo rk in th e engine compart ment. Alwa ys
follow common ly acce pted safety practi ces