Instruments and Indicator/Warning Lights
40
Brake system
The warning light
flashes or comes on if the brake fluid level is too low, if there
is a fault in the ABS or if
the handbrake is applied.
If the warning light
flashes and an audible signal sounds three times (handbrake
is not applied),
stop
and check the brake fluid level
⇒
.
The following text will be displayed in the information display*:
Brake fluid Owner's manual
If there is a fault in the ABS which also in
fluences the function of the brake system
(e.g. distribution of brake pressure), the ABS warning light
comes on and at the
same time the brake system warning light starts flashing
. Be aware that not only
the ABS but also another part of th brake system is defective
⇒
.
An audible signal sounds three times as an additional warning signal.One should get used to high pedal forces, long braking distances and long free play of the brake pedal when driving to the next specialist garage. For further information on the brake system
⇒page 196, “Brakes”.
Handbrake applied The warning light
also comes on if the handbrake is applied. An audible warning
is also given if you drive the vehicle for at least 3 seconds at a speed of more than 6 km/h. The following text will be displayed in the information display*:
Release parking brake!
WARNING
•
Pay attention to the following instru
ctions before checking the brake
fluid level and opening the bonnet
⇒page 225, “Working in the engine
compartment”.•
If the brake system warning light
does not go out a few seconds after
switching on the ignition or comes on when driving, stop immediately and check the brake fluid in the reservoir
⇒page 231. If the fluid level has
dropped below the MIN marking, do not
drive any further - risk of accident!
Obtain professional assistance.Alternator
The warning light
comes on after the ignition has been switched on. It should go
out after the engine has started. If the warning light does not go out after
the engine has started, or comes on when
driving, drive to the nearest specialist garage. The vehicle battery will be discharged in this case so switch off all non-essential electrical components.
Caution
If the warning light
comes on when driving and in
addition the warning light
(cooling system fault) also comes on in display, you must then stop the car imme- diately and switch the engine off - risk of engine damage!Engine oil level
Warning light
lights up
If the warning light
lights up, the quantity of oil in the engine is probably too low.
Check as soon as possible the oil level or top up
⇒page 228, “Replenishing engine
oil” with engine oil. A peep sounds as an additional warning signal.The following text will be displayed in the information display*:
Check oil level!
The warning light will go out if the bonnet is
left open for more than 30 seconds. If
no engine oil has been replenished, the
warning light will come on again after
driving about 100 km.
WARNING (continued)
se0.1.book Page 40 Friday, April 10, 2009 3:19 PM
Driving and the Environment
205
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
Avoid driving short distances Short distances result in an above-average high fuel consumption.– Avoid driving a distance of no more than 4 km if the engine is cold.The engine and catalytic converter mu
st first have reached their optimal
operating
temperature
in order to effectively reduce fu
el consumption and pollutant emis-
sions. The cold engine vehicle consumes approx. 15 - 20 litres/100 km of fuel immediately after starting. Fuel co
nsumption drops to 10 litres/100 km after just 1 kilometre. The
engine reaches its operating temperat
ure (outside temperature and engine
dependent) only after about
4 to 10
kilometres and the fuel consumption then
stabilizes. You should therefore avoid driving short distances whenever possible. An important factor in this connection is also the
ambient temperature
. The
⇒ fig. 202
shows the different fuel consumptions for the same distance, on the one
hand at +20°C and on the other hand at
-10°C. Your vehicle has a higher fuel
consumption in winter than in summer.Checking tyre inflation pressures Tyres which are correctly inflated save fuel.Always ensure that your tyres are inflated
to the correct pressure at all times. The
rolling resistance will be increased if the tyre filling pressure is too low. This will not
only increase fuel consumption but also
tyre wear and the driving behaviour will
worsen. Always check the inflation pressure of the tyres when
cold
.
Do not drive with
winter tyres
all year round for this costs about 10 % more fuel.
Winter tyres are also louder.No unnecessary ballast Transporting ballast costs fuel.The fact that every kilogram of extra
weight
increases your fuel consumption
means that it is worth taking a look in the luggage compartment to avoid trans- porting any unnecessary ballast. It is particularly in town traffic, when one
is accelerating quite often, that the vehicle
weight will have a significant effect upon
the fuel consumption. A rule of thumb
here is that an increase in weight of 100
kilograms will cause an increase in fuel
consumption of about 1
litre/100 kilometres.
You may frequently also leave a
roof rack fitted
on just out of convenience,
although you no longer need it. The incr
eased aerodynamic drag of your vehicle
causes it to use about 10% more fuel th
an normal at a speed of 100 - 120 km/h,
even when you are not carr
ying a load on the roof.
Saving electricity Generating electricity costs fuel.– Switch off electrical components as
soon as you no longer need them.
When the engine is running, the alternator
generates and supplies
electrical power.
The greater the load on the alternator as a result of having a large number of elec-trical components switched on, the more
fuel will be consumed for operating the
alternator.
Fig. 202 Fuel consumption in litres/100 km at different temperatures
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Inspecting and replenishing
226
ribbed belt, alternator, radiator fan) and from the high-voltage ignition system. Please observe in addition the following:
− Never touch the electrical cabl
es of the ignition system.
− Absolutely avoid any jewellery, loose items of clothing or long hair from getting into the rotating parts of the engine - Hazard! Therefore remove any jewellery beforehand, tie up your hair and wear tight fitting clothing.
•
Please also comply with the warnin
g instructions st
ated below when
carrying out any essential work on the fuel system or on the electrical system:
− Always separate the car batter
y from the electrical system.
− Do not smoke. − Never carry out any work close to naked flames. − Always keep a working fire
extinguisher at hand.
Caution
When replenishing fluids in the engine, always ensure that the fluids are on no account mixed up. This may result in ma
jor operating problems and also vehicle
damage!
Overview of the engine compartment The main inspection pointsFig. 210 Petrol engine 1.8 ltr./118 kW TSI
Coolant expansion bottle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Windshield washer fluid reservoir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Engine oil filler opening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Engine oil dipstick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Brake fluid reservoir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Battery (below a cover) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Note
The location of the inspection points in
the engine compartment of petrol and
diesel engines is practically identical.
WARNING (continued)
A1
229
A2
236
A3
228
A4
227
A5
231
A6
232
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Index295
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
Index
AAbroad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
ABS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
Active driver-steering recommendation . . . . . . . 195
Adjusting seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75, 164
electrically . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Adjusting the steering wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Air conditioning system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Air outlet vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Recirculated air mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Airbag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Deployment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Front airbag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Head airbag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Side airbag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Alarm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Alternator
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Antilock brake system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Antilock brake system (ABS)
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38Anti-theft alarm system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Ashtray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Auto Check Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Auto Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Automatic gearbox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Emergency programme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Kickdown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Selector lever-emergency unlocking . . . . . . . 138
Tiptronic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Automatic light control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Automatic seat adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Automatic vehicle wash systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Automatic wiper/washer system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
AUX-IN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Avoiding damage to your vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
BBattery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40, 232
change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Charge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Inspecting the electrolyte level . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Operation in winter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Before setting off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Belt
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Belt tensioners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168Bluetooth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143, 153
Bonnet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15, 224
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Boot lid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Brake
Handbrake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Brake Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Brake booster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Brake pads
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Button for the central locking system . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Buttons on the driver's door
Power windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
CCar state . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Catalytic converter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
CD changer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Central locking system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
unlock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Changing a wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
Changing bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
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