Booklet 3.2 Tips and Advice
Fuel supply
Applies lo ve hicl es: wi th a gasoline engi ne
Gasoline
The co rrect gaso line grades are lisred on a sti cke r inside the Juel fill er flap.
Octane roting
Octane rating indicates gaso line's a bility to re
s ist en gin e da ma ging "k noc k" ca used by pre- ig
n iti on. Therefo re, buyin g the correc t grade of
gaso line is very
to help p reven t pos
s ibl e e ngin e damage and a loss of e ngin e perfor
man ce.
T he recommende d gaso line oc ta ne rating for
yo ur eng ine ca n b e fo und on a la b el loca ted on
th e in sid e of the fu el fill er flap. This rat ing m ay
b e s pecifie d as AKI (CLC) o r HO N (ROZ).
Gaso lines mo st co mm onl y use d in the Unite d
States and
hav e th e fo llow ing octan e
ra tin gs that can usually be found on th e fill er
pump :
• Premi um Graci e: 91
96 AKI
• Reg ular
87 90 AK I
Unlead ed gasoline
Unleaded gasoline is ava ilab le throu ghout t he
U SA, C anada, and in most European countri es.
We recom men d th at yo u do not take your ve
h icle
oxyge nates) if the
bl end ed mixture mee ts th e fo llowing criteria :
Blend of gaso lin e methanol (wood alcohol or
meth yl alco hol):
• Anti -kn ock ind ex mu st be 87 or hi gh er,
• Ble nd mu st co ntain no mor e th an 3% meth
a n o l,
• 131encl must co ntai n m ore tha n 2% co-so l
ve nts.
Bl end of gasoline a nd ethan ol ( gra in alco hol or
e th yl alco hol) :
• Anti-knock index mu st b e 87 AK I or higher,
32 Checking and Filling
• Ble nd mu st n ot co ntain mor e than HJ% eth
ano l.
Bl end of gaso line a nd MTBE:
• Anti -knock index must b e 87 AK I or high er,
•
m ust contain not more t han 15% MTB E.
Seasonally adjusted gasoline
Many gasolines are blen ded perfor m espe
cia lly well for win te r or summer driv in g. D urin g
seaso nal ch ange-over, we su gges t that you fill up
busy sta tio ns where the seaso nal adju st
ment is more like ly be mad e in tim e.
Note
• Do not use any fuel w ith octan e ra tings lowe r
than 07 /\K l or 9 1 otherw ise expensive en
g in e damage w ill occur.
• Do not use lea ded gaso lin e! Usin g le aded
gaso line
w ill seve re ly da mage vehicle 's cat
a lyt ic co nverte r and its abilit y to re du ce ex hau st
e mi ssio ns.
• Met hanol fue ls th at do not meet th ese re
q uir eme nts ma y ca use c orro sio n and dam age to
p las tic a nd rubber component s in th e fu el
sys te m .
• Do not u se fuels that fa il to meet the criteria
s p ecified above.
• If yo u are unable to dete rmine wheth er or
n ot
parti cul ar f uel bl en d m eets the sp eci fica
t io ns above, ask your service s ta tion o r its fu el
s u pplie r.
• Do not use f uel for whic h th e con te nt s
ca nn ot be identifie d.
• Fuel system damage and performan ce pro b
l e ms r esultin g from the use of f uels diffe re nt
from those s peci fied above are
11 0 1 th e respo nsi
bilit y of Vo lkswage n and are 1101 covered under
th e New Ve hicle or th e Emission Co ntrol
War ra n ties.
Booklet 3.2 Tips and Advice
Checking the engine oil level
engine dipst ick indi cates the level o f th e oil.
Fig . 5 Engin e oil dip st ic k with engine oil level ma rks
To get a true reading, th e vehicle must be
o n le vel ground. Before opening the en
g in e hood, a lway s read a nd heed all
WA RN INGS ,iage 34, "Safety is job No. I
wh en worki ng in the eng ine
men t" .
-
the engine and wait a few minute s
for the oil to return to t he oil pan.
- Raise the en gi ne hood ,iage 36.
- Pull ou t th e dip sti ck an d w ip e it clea n
w it h a rag.
- Rein sert dip sti ck; push it all the way in. -
Pull th e dip stick out again and check
th e oil le vel.
- After check ing t he o il lev el, plea se mak e
sure that th e dip sti ck is p ush ed back i n all
t h e way.
T he pos ition of th e dip sti ck is s how n in th e cor
responding en gin e co mpartm ent diagram
3.3 " Technical Data."
You must no t add oil.
You ca n oil. The oil leve l ma y go into th e
A ran ge, but not abov e th e A ran ge.
You must add oil. Afte r addi ng o il, m ake th at th e oi l leve l is somewhe re wit hin th e range.
WARNING
Sto p! workin g in the e ngin e c ompar t
m ent, a lways re ad and h eed all
34. The eng ine co mpartm ent of a ny
mot or ve hicle is a poten tiall y dan gero us a re a
and ca n cau se ser io us pe rso nal injur y.
Not e
If the engin e oil leve l is above l evel 5 do
no t start th e engine -th is could damage the cat
a ly tic co nverter and the eng ine! Contac t an au
th orized Volksw agen dea le r o r
qu alifi ed
workshop.
Checking and Filling 39
Note
• When mixed with ot heradditives t he colo r of
G 12 w ill chan ge to brown . If thi s ha ppens. im
mediat ely change the coo lant. Otherw ise it wi ll
res ult in engi ne damage!
• If a lot o f coo la n t ha s been lost. wa it for the
engine to
coo l before topping cold
coolant to h elp prevent damage to th e e ngine.
Large coolan t losses are a s ign of leaks in the
Book let 3.2 Tip s and Advic e ®
cooling syste m. Ha ve the cool ing syste m
che cke d imm ediatel y by an authori zed Volk
swage n dea le r or qua lifi ed worksho p to red uce
the risk of engine damage.
• Do not add an y type of radia to r leak sealant
to you r veh icle's e ngi ne coola nt.Adding ra di ator
repair fluid m ay adve rse ly aff ect th e f un ction
and performanc e of yo ur coo ling sys te m and
co uld result in damage not covere d by your New
Ve hicle Lim ited
The water for cleaning windsh ield should always be mixed windshield
washer
Fig . 9 In the engine comportment: cop of wind
shie ld wa sher flu id container
Th e wi ndsh iel d washer co ntain er loca ted
in t he eng ine c ompartme nt suppli es was her
fluid to b oth th e wind shield wash er an d hea d
li g ht washi ng sys te m . If the was her flu id l eve l
drop s to o low. the informat io n tex t Top up
was h fluid! i s di sp layed in the ins trument cluster a nd
t h e w indshield washer warn ing light ligh ts up . Stop!
o
p eni ng t he engine hood, always
r ea d and hee d all WA RN INGS 34, is job No. l w hen working in the engi ne com
partm ent ".
Th e location of the container is shown in
corresponding engine co mpartm elll overview
=>bookle t 3.3 ''Techn ical Data."
S inc e regular water is usually not adequate for
cleaning t he wi ndshi eld, a dd
clea ning so lution
to the water. Please follow the diluti on in stru c
t io ns on the package.
WARNING
Stop! Before working in the eng in e co mpa rt
m ent , a lways read a nd heed all WA RN INGS
34 . Th e engine co mpartm ent an y
motor ve hicl e is a potent ially dan gerous area
a nd ca n ca use se riou s personal inju ry.
D o not use engine coo lan t, anti-freeze a ny
o th er so lu tions that ca n damage t he ve hicl e
Ch ecki ng and Fillin g 45
fluid reservoir has a black cap.
Fig. 12 I n the engine compartm ent : c ap of the
brake fluid reservoi r
To get a read in g, the ve hicl e be
on leve l g round . Before opening th e
g in e hood, always rea d and hee d all
WA RN INGS
34, "Sa fety is job No. 1
w hen wo rkin g in the eng ine com par t·
m ent' '.
H ead off fluid leve l a t the tran s
par ent brak e fluid reservo ir. IL sho uld
ways be be twee n th e "M IN" and "MAX"
m arks .
Bookl et 3.2 Tips and Advic e @
• Never move the w indshi eld wiper o r sh ield wiper arm manu ally· this co uld cause
damage!
• To prevent damage to the wiping sys te m,
ways loose n blades froze n to th e g lass befor e ting th e wi pers
Th e loca tion of the brak e flu id reservo ir is show n
in the correspo nding engin e co mpartm ent over·
v iew
3 .3 "Tec hnical Data. " T he brake
fluid reservoir has a black cap 12 .
Th e fluid leve l drops slightly w hen th e hide is bein g use d and as the pads are to mat ically a dju ste d as they wea r dow n.
Howe ver, if the leve l goes
no ticeab ly i n a time, o r drops below th e "MIN " mark,
ther e ma y be a lea k in the brake syste m. If th e
brak e fluid leve l drops too low, the wa rnin g tex t
STOP . Brake fluid stop vehicle! i s disp layed i n the
instrumem cluste r an d the brake system
warning lig ht light s up . If this hap pens, imm edi ·
ate ly take the ve hicle to an auth orized Vo lk
s wa gen d ealer ship, or qua lified workshop a nd
have the brak e sys te m insp ecte d.
WARNING
Stop! Before wo rk in g in the en gin e compart
ment , a lways read and h eed all WARN IN GS
34 . Th e engine compar tme nt of any
motor vehicle is a pot entia lly dan gerou s area
and can ca use ser io us perso nal injur y
Checking and Filling 47
Booklet 3.2 Tips and Advice
WARNING (continued)
with special care for the fir st 35 0 mile s
( 560km ).
• Driving with worn or dam aged tires can
l ead to los s of co ntrol, sud den tire failure, in
clud ing a blowout and sudden deflation,
cras hes and se riou s perso nal injurie s. H ave
worn or damaged tires rep laced immediat ely.
• Tires age even if th ey arc not bein g used
a n d can fail sudd enl y, es pecia lly
at high
s p ee ds. Tire s th at ar c mor e than 6 yea rs old
WARNIN G (contin ued)
ca n onl y be use d in an em erge ncy and then
w ith specia l ca re and at lo w er sp eeds.
• Neve r m ount u sed t ires on yo ur vehicl e if
you arc not s ure of th eir "pre vio us hi story."
Old use d tir es ma y have been dama ged eve n
t h ough th e damage cann ot b e see n that can
l ea d to sudd en tir e fa ilur e and loss of vehicle
contro l.
• If yo u notice unu sual vibrat ion or if th e ve
hicle pull s to one sid e wh en drivin g, a lways
stop as soo n as it is safe to do so and check the
wheels and tires for dam age.
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessor y weight
m ea ns th e comb ined weigh t (in excess of those
s tand ard item s wh ic h may b e re p laced ) of auto
matic tran sm iss ion, powe r stee ring . power
brake s, pow er wind ows, powe r se ats. radio, a nd
heat er, to th e ex tent that th ese item s are ava il
ab le as factory- in st all ed eq ui pment (w heth er in
s talled or not).
Aspect ratio m ea ns th e ra tio of th e heig h t
th e wid th of th e
ti re in perce nt. Numbers of70 or lowe r ind icat e
a sh ort sid ewa ll for imp roved steering r espons e
a nd be tter ove rall hand ling d ry pa vement.
B ead
m ea ns th e pan oft he tire that is m ade of stee l
w ires, wrapp ed or reinfor ced by ply cords and
t h at is s hape d to
th e rim .
B ead separation
mean s a breakdow n of th e bo nd b etwee n com
p on ent s in the bea d.
Cord mea ns th e s trands for ming the plies in t he tire .
Cold lir e inflation pressure
m ea ns th e tire press ure reco mmend ed by the
ve hicl e m anu factur er f or a tire of a des ig nate d
s ize th a t ha s not b ee n d rive n for th an a co up le of
m iles ( kilomete rs) at low sp eeds in th e thr ee
h our peri od befo re th e tire press ure is m eas ured
or ad juste d.
52 Checking and Filling
Curb weig ht
mea ns th e weig ht of
a moto r ve hicle sta n
dard equipm ent in cluding th e maxi mum ca
paci ty o f fuel. oil. a nd coolant, air co ndition ing
and additional weight of o ptional equipme nt.
Gr oss Axle Weight Roting
m ea ns th e load -ca rryi ng ca pacity of a sin gle axle
sys tem, measured at th e tire-gro und in te rface s.
Gro ss Vehicl e W eight Roling
means th e max imum t otal load ed weig ht of the
ve hicl e.
Groo ve
m ea ns th e spa ce betw een
ad jacent tread
r ib s.
L o ad rotin g (cod e)
m eans the maximum load that
tir e is ra ted to
carry for a given inflation press ure. You may not
this o n all tir es bec ause it is not
required by law.
Ma ximum load roting
m ean s th e load rating for
tire at th e perm iss ible inflatio n pressu re for that t ir e .
Ma ximum load ed ve hicle weig ht
mean s th e
of:
(a) C urb weig ht,
( b ) Accesso ry weight,
( c ) Vehicle capa city weigh t, a nd
(cl ) Pro duction o ptions we ig h t.
fore, you shou ld ne ver let air o ut of a warm ti re m atc h "cold tire inflation pressure" reco m
m endati ons. The tir es wo uld then be und erin
fla ted and could fail suddenl y.
Maint aining proper tire press ure is on e of the
mo st important things you ca n do
help avoi d
s udd en tir e failu re. Unde rinflated tire s are a
major cause of sudden tir e failure. Keeping t ires
a t th e righ t p ress ure is also important for saf e
and resp o nsiv e ve hicl e handl ing, tra ctio n,
and load carryi ng. Tire pre ssure s arc
part icu lar ly i mport ant when the ve hicle is
being driven at higher speeds, and then espe
cially when heavi ly lo ad ed eve n wit hin th e per
mi ssible load-carry ing capaci ties approved for
yo ur vehicle.
The reco mm end ed tir e pre ssure s fo r yo ur Volk
sw age n dep end on th e kind or tires on your ve-
Ca rlin e E ngin e Tire
Jet ta 1.91
/ 74 195/65
15 91 H
kWT DI
1.91/ 74 205
/55 R 16 91
kW TD I
1. 9 1 / 74 225/45
17 91 H
kW TDI
J etta 2.0
l / 147 205/55 R 16 911-1
2. 0l / 147 225/45
R 17 91 H
kWTF SI
2.0 1 / 147 255 /40
18 92 Y
kWTFSI
J e tt a 2.51/ 110 195/65
1 5 91 H
kW
2 .5 1 /
IIO 205/55 R 16 91 H
k W
2 .5 1 /
IIO 225/45 R 1791 H
kW
xi= reinfor ced
Be caus e
ch anges may be mad e to ve
hicl e equipm ent during the model year, always
c ompar e th e tire size designation on the tire
pr ess ure label on yo ur vehi cle
the tire s on
y ou r ve hicle. Make sur e that th e tir e s ize in fo r-
Booklet 3.2 Tips and Advice
hide an d th e number of passe ngers and /or
amo unt of luggage you will b e
The tire pr ess ure la b el on the op en edge of the
dri ver's doo r on your Volk swagen li sts th e rec
o mmended cold tire infla tion press ures fo r the
veh icle at its max imum capaci ty weight and tire s
th at were on your vehicle at the time it was man
ufa ctur ed.
See the illu stration
54, fig. for the loca
ti on of the label on the open edge of the drive r's
door (color of th e actual label and exact location
o n the vehicl e will vary slightl y).
table below li sts the recom mend ed co ld tire
inflation pressures for the Volk swa gen m odel s
cove red by your O wner's Lit era ture at the ve
hi cle's maximum capacit y weig ht and the tir e
s izes insta lled on th e res pec tive mode ls as ori g
in al e quipment , o r as a fa ctory opt ion .
Tire pressur e Tire pressure rear
front
PSI kPa
PS I kPa
34 234 34 234
34 234 34 234
34 234 34 234
3 5 240 35 240
35 240
35 240
35 240
240
34 234
34 234
34 2
34 3 4
234
34 234
34 234
mation o n the vehicl e lab el i s the same as th e
s ize of t he tir es on the ve hicl e is es pecially im
portan t if th e ve hicl e belo ngs to someo ne e lse or
y ou bou ght the vehicle with different rims/tires
Checking and Filling 55
"Tires and ve hicl e lo ad limit s" for more imporinfor mati on.
Vehicles
ha ve full hub caps have valve ex
tenders ins tead of du st caps. To ch eck tire pr es
s ur e or acid air. you do not n eed to re move the
ex te nd er. 13e s ure to rein sta ll va lve dust caps
ch eck ing or adjust ing tir e pr ess ure.
A lways use an
tir e pr ess ure gaug e w hen
c h eck ing and adju stin g i nfl atio n pr essu res .
C hec k all of the
and b e sure not l o forg et th e
s par e tire. If p ress ure in an y is too high
w hen the tire is "co ld," let o ur of the tir e
s lowly with th e of the tir e ga uge and kee p
c h eck ing th e press ure until you re ac h th e pr es
s ure that is correc t for th e loa d (pa sse nge rs and
l u gg age)
ki nd of dri ving yo u plan t o do .
I f th e pr ess ure in any tire is too low , n ote the dif
f e re n ce between the press ure in the co ld
a nd
th e pr ess ure yo u need and add air yo u
n eed to reac h th e co rrect press ure for the vehicle
load (pa sse nge rs and lu ggage) for th e tire s on
yo ur vehicle as listed o n the on yo ur vehicle a nd
in thi s man ual
th e kind of driv ing y ou p lan
t o do .
Neve r excee d th e maxi mum infl ati on pre ssure
li sted on the tir e sid ewa ll for any reason.
R em emb er th at the ve hicle manufac turer, not
t h e tir e man ufa ctur er, de te rmin es th e co rrec t
t ir e pr ess ure for th e tir es o n yo ur vehicle
I t i s imp ortant
ch ec k th e tir e pr ess ure when
the tires are cold.
Vehicle witho ut
• the re quir ed tire pressure from the tir e
pressu re lab el on the ope n edge of th e dri ver's
door .
• Place the a ir press ure gauge on the dust cap s
- th ere is no need
re m ove them.
• The tir e press ures s ho uld onl y be checked
tire s cold. The sli ghtl y pres
s ur es ofwann tires no t b e reduced.
•
th e tire press ure to the load you are
ca rrying.
Vehicle with
• the req uir ed tir e pr ess ure from the tir e
pressure label o n th e ope n edge of the dr ive r's
do or.
Booklet 3.2 Tips and Advice
• Turn th e va lve s tem cap counter-clockw ise to
r emove it from the tire valve.
•
th e ai r press ure on the valv e.
• The tir e pressures sh o uld onl y be ch ecke d
w hen th e tir es are cold. T he slig htly rai sed pres
s ur es of
tires not be redu ced.
• Adju st th e tir e pr ess ure to the load you are
carry ing.
• Reins tall the valv e ste m cap on the valve.
When should I ch eck the tire pressure?
Th e co rrec t tir e pr ess ure is especia lly import ant
a t hi gh speeds . Th e pre ssur e s ho uld th erefo re be
c h ecked at leas t once a month and alwa ys befo re
s ta rt in g a jo urn ey. D o not forget to ch eck the tire
pr ess ure on th e spare whee l
When shou ld
I adjust the tire press ures?
Ad just th e tire press ure to the loa d you are car
ry ing. After changin g
wheel or repl acing
w hee ls yo u have tu adj ust th e tir e press ures on
a ll whee ls. In ad ditio n on ve hicles wit h TPMS,
yo u sh oul d s pecify new tire pressures
=boo klet
WARNING
In co rrec t tire press ure ca n result in sudd en
ti re failur e Jo ss of co ntrol, collision , seriou s
perso nal injur y an d eve n dea th .
•
tire s to the re co mm end ed and
co rrec t tir e pre ssure before drivin g off.
• Driving with und erinfl atcd tires bend
m or e, le ttin g th em get too hot res ulting in
tr ead separatio n, s udd en tir e fai lure ti re
fa ilur e and Jo ss of control.
• Excess ive sp ee d and /or ove rload ing ca n
ca use hea t build -u p, su dden tire failure in
cludin g a bl owo ut an d su dden deflati on and
Jo ss o f co ntrol.
• If th e tire pr essure is to o low or too high,
th e tir es will wear prema turely and the ve hicl e
wi ll not handl e we ll.
Not e
Dr iv in g w ith out valve s te m caps ca n cau se
applicab le Tire pressure monitoring system)
Checking and Filling 57
Booklet 3.2 Tips and Advice
• If the spar e tire is differe nt from the tires that
yo u have mounted on your ve hicl e ( for example
tir es or wide profil e tir es), then use the
spare tire for a sh ort period of on ly and
driv e w ith extra care . R ep lace the flat tir e wi th
th e tir e ma tc hin g th e o ther s on yo ur vehicle as
soo n as pos sibl e.
Uniform tire quality grading
Qualit y can b e found w here appli cable on
th e tire side be twee n tread sh ou ld e r and
m axi mum sec tion w idth 61. fig . 16 .
For exampl e: T rea d wear 20 0, T ra ctio n /Ill, Te mII.
1111 pa sse nger car ti res must conform to Federa l
Safe ty Hcquirem ents in additi on t o grade s.
Tr ead wea r
The
specifi ed gov
ernme nt test course .
F or examp le ,
tir e g raded 150 wou ld wea r on e
and one half (11 /2) tim es well on govern
me nt course as a tire graded IOO.
T he re lat ive perfor mance of tires depend s up on
th e act ual co nditions of the ir use, however. and
m ay depa rt sig nifi cantl y from th e no rm du e to
va riat io ns in dri vin g ha bits, se rvice practic es
a nd diff ere n ces in road chara cte ri sti cs and cli
grade s, from hig hes t to lowes t. are
AA . and C. Those grade s re pr ese nt the tir e's
a bilit y to stop on pav ement as m easure d
under controlled condit io ns on spec ified gov
e rnment
surfa ces of asp halt and concret e. A
ti re m ark ed C ma y ha ve poor tracti o n perfo r
64 Checking and Filling
• in sta llin g new tires, be c are ful no t t o
dam age the va lves o r sensor s.
• Never drive witho ut the va lve ste m cap. Th e
va lves a nd senso rs
get dama ged.
• I f
sensors must be rep la ce d, th e
va lve must likew ise be re pla ced sa m e
tim e.
c£> Fo r the sak e of environment
Di sp ose o f o ld tires in accordan ce wit h th e loca l
r e qu ire m ent s.
The 1e111pem111re grades are A (the hi ghes t), B. an d C. represen ting th e tir e's to the
gene ration of heat and its abi lity 10 di ss ipat e tes te d und er contro lled co ndi tions
on a spcci f'ied indoo r lab oratory te st w heel.
Sus tained hig h tempera ture ca n cause
mate
r ial of the lir e to deg enerat e and re du ce lire life,
and excess ive te mperature can lea d to sudd en
tir e
The C co rresponds to a leve l of perfor
m an ce whi ch all pa sseng er car tires mu st m eet
un der the
Motor V ehi cle Sa fe ty Standard
No. G rad es and A re pres ent higher lev els
of pe rfo rm ance on the laboratory w heel
th an minimu m re quir ed by law.
WA RNING
The trac t ion gra de ass igned to thi s tire is base d
on stra ig ht-ah ead brak ing tra ctio n t ests, and
d ocs not i nclude acceleration, corn erin g, hy
d ropla ning or peak tracti on cha racter is ti cs.
WARNING
Th e te m pera ture gra de fo r thi s tire is es ta b
li sh ed for tir e th at is proper ly in fl ated and
not overloaded. Excess ive spee d, und crinfl a
tion , or excess ive load ing, eith er separate ly or
in com binati on, ca n ca use hea t bu ildup and
po ssible tir e fa ilur e.