2010 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF brake

some area s, speed
is higher.
you are driv ing a new vehicle or a ve hicle with a new or rebui lt engine, do not tow a during the break-in period, about 283.
Technical requirements
tory informatio n an d heed the WARN­on page 149.
Use only a weight-car rying
hitch must be suitable for
you r
a "weight -dis­
tributing " or "load-equalizing " trailer hitch on your The vehicle is not designed for this kind of trailer hitch
Do not use a bumper-mounted traile r hitch
Never
a trailer hitch on the bumper or on the
bumper attachments. The trailer hitch must not in­
terfe re with the impact-absorbing bumper system.
Do not make any changes to the vehicle exhaust
and brake systems. From time to time, check that trailer hitch mounting bolts are secure ly fas­
tened. When you are not towing, remove the trailer
hitch. This
helps keep the trailer hitch from causing damage if your vehicle is hit from behind.
Engine cooling syste m
Tow i
ng a trailer makes the engine and its cooling
system work harder.
Before driving
maintenance more often because of the extra
load it has to move.
When you are not towing , remove the trailer hitch
Some models need a trailer hitch to tow or tow-start other vehicles. after it has
been removed. Be sure to stow it securely. Trailer brakes
your trailer has its own brakes , make sure it
meets
151 .
T ra
iler
Trailer lights must meet regulations 151.
Never connect the trailer lights directly to the elec­
t rical system
of your
Outside mirrors
you cannot see the traffic behind you using the
r egular outside mirrors, then you must ex­
t ended mirrors. Extended mirrors may also be re­
quired by law in some countries
I states I provin ­
ces . Always adjust the outside mirrors befo re dr iv­ing. It's vital that you always have a clear view to
the rear of the veh icle .
Maximum po w er con sumption fo r the trailer
Do not exceed the power ratings listed in the chart
b elow.
E l
ectr ica l load Maximum power
Taillights total

Volkswagen Service Vehicles with Xenon
gas-discharge self-adjust to vehicle load
and do not need manual adjustment.
Special towing considerations
th e t railer has an overrun brake, apply the
br akes
Due to the combined towing weight including
the higher gross vehicle weight, the stopping
tance is longer.
Be fo re drivi ng especially on
The vehicle's center of grav ity and , in turn, the
Weight distribution is especially bad if the is emp ty and the trailer is loaded.
Depending on how steep the is an d the
backwards when you first start moving.
When starting off with a tra iler on a
Depress and hold the brake pedal and depress
and hold the clutch (manu al transmission).
171, Shifting .
Unlock the parking brake a nd gently release it
whi le holding the unlock button. At the same time,
release the brake pedal and
depress the
accelerator and, for manual transmissions , let out
the clutch
you can feel the car moving ward . applicable, follow the instruct ions for the Hold feat ure
Do not release the parking brake lever until the
engine starts to move the vehicle forward. your
vehicle has an automatic tr ansmission , you can
so depress and hold the brake peda l for added
b raking and then Jet up on the brake pedal when
you feel that the to move forward .
Drive ahead slowly.
hicle contro l and serious per sonal injury.
dles and increases the distance it needs to stop safely .
Always adapt your sp ee d and driving to th e heavier loa d and the weight distribution in the vehicle. Tak e road , weather , traffic, and visibility conditions into account as well .
Always avoid sudde n maneuv ers and ha rd braking.
atin g.
som e areas
s p ee d for vehicles towing trailers are
lower than for vehicles without trailers. T ra n spo rting

Maximum
first read and note the introductory information and heed the on
with brake
engines (748 kg.) (748 kg. )
Tongue weight
(91 kg)
The Gross
These ratings are
is the weight of the mount and th e tongue weight of the are added to the
weight ratings given above are of
for every ft m) . o r porti on of additiona l
altitude .
156 Before driving
Exceeding the gross
ous
Exceeding the gross weight ratings can cause
extensive

Keyless Access locking and starting sys­
tem :
on page 165.
The starter button
be used when an au­
t horized
the elec tronic steering is ac tivated when the ignit io n is
swi tched off and the driver door is opened
192.
Switching the ignition on and off
press the starter button once without op­
e rating the brake or
Emergency start feature
an authorize d remote veh icle key is in the
passenger compartment but the inst rume nt
can
Make sure the
key to the right of the steering trim immed iate ly after
p ressing the starter button
the
eng ine starts.
Emergency shut-off
the engine does not switch off by
Press the starte r butt on twice within one sec­
ond or once for more than 2 secon ds
Engine restart function
no author ize d r emote control veh ic le key is iden­
tified in the passenger compartmen t afte r the en­
gine has been switched off, the engin e can be re­
s tarted wi
thin about 5 seconds . A rela ted message
is sh ow n in the instrument cluster displa y.
Afte r the
5 seconds have passed, the engine can
n o be started without an author ized ve hicle
key in the passenger compartment.
Unintended
in se­
rious
start th e engine, and operate vehicle systems such as the power windows,
The doors can be
Starting, shifting, parking 167

emergency. For example , depending on the time of year, people trapped in the vehicle
ca n be exposed to very high or very low tem­
peratures .
Heat
quickly reach levels that can cause uncon­sciousness and death , particularly to
runn in g and the drive r doo r is op ened , a
chime sounds. T he chim e is also a re minde r to swi tch off the engine and turn off the ignition b efore
leavin g and locki ng th e veh icle from the out side . on page 165.
(auto m atic) , or into Neut ral (manu a l o nly) .
167-
3. Turn the veh icle ke y to posi tion -do no t dep ress the accelerator p ed al. A n au-
do not depr ess the accele ra to r p ed al. t
h oriz ed vehicle key must be insi de t he ve h ic le
i n order to start th e engin e .
4 . Wh en the engi ne s ta rts, release th e v ehic le W
he n the e ng ine starts, release th e sta rte r but-
key . to n .
the engi ne does not start , swi tc h off the igni- tion an d s tart aga in after ab ou t o ne minute .
t io n and sta rt again after about one minut e. Use
the em ergenc y sta rt function if n ecessary 16 7 .
6 .
R elease the pa rking brake when you are ready to s tart dr iving 179 .
Never leave the vehicle unattended while the
engine is running. The vehicle could move suddenly, espec ially when the vehicle is in
gear, resulting in accidents and persona l in-jury.
can explode and can cause a vehicle condition.
Never use starting assist fluids .
moving, or if you try to restart the engine right after switching it off.
Avoid high engine speeds,
Do not le t your ve hicle warm up while stan d­ing; in stead . start drivi ng right awa y aft er making s ur e that yo u have good visib ilit y t hro ug h w indows. This help the e ngine reac h opera t­
ing temp e rature faste r an d ke ep d own emissions.

Major con sumers of are sw itched off when the engine is being started .
Stopping the engine
After start ing a engin e, there may be creased operating noises fo r a few seconds .
This is
first read and note the introductory information and heed the on
perform each step
without Keyless Access Vehicles with Access
1. Bring the to a
2. Dep res s and down the brake s tep 4 is
3 . A ut omatic transmission: th e transmission into Park (P) .
4 .
the parking brake to fr om moving
in Briefly press the starter button 167. 5. the engine 167.
6 . With
a
tran smi ssion , shift into 1st gear or re-
ve rse pointin g down hill).
Never stop the engine before the has
come to a trol of the vehicle, crash, and be
be needed to stop the
not be able to steer the
the engine
running and the driver door is opened, a
c him e sounds. Th e c hime is a re minder to
sw itch off the engine and turn off the igniti on before and from the outside.
with automatic t ransmissio ns. the be remov ed from the
ignition when the transmission is in Park (P).
After the engi ne has been switched off. the radiato r fan in the engine compartment may
keep running for ning after the even if the ignition is sw itche d off and t he ve hicle
key has bee n remo ved. Th e radiat or fan sh uts off
automatically when th e engine has down
enough.
Starting, shifting, parking 169

Shifting
Introduction
this section find information about:
Warning
and i ndicator ... .. . .
Pedals
............. ........... .
Manual transmission: Gearshift lever
172
173
174
Automat ic transm ission :
lever.... 175
Sh ifting with nptro nic ® . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Driving with automatic transmiss ion 177
Automat ic transmission malfunction . . . . . . . . 178
Explanatory
notes in this sec tion regarding
Direct
The backup lights come on.
Climatronic switches to air culation mode.
The rear window wiper switches on when the
windshield wipers are switched on.
More information:
Braking , stoppi ng and parking 179
Climate control
Engine control and emission control system
Emergency
Rapid acceleration can cause skidding and loss of traction , especially on slippery roads,
re sulting in a loss of vehicle control, sions, and seriou s personal injury.
use the kick-down feature or fast cele ration if visibility, weather, road, and
Constant braking causes the brakes to and se rious personal injury.
the brakes or apply the brake
pedal too often or too long.
substantially reduce braking performance, increase stopping
the brakes by keeping your foot on the brake pedal when you do not want to brake . Thi s make the brakes wear faster.
gine braking and reduce the load on the brakes. Otherwise , the brake system could overheat and even

Warning and indica tor lights
on page 171.
L
ights Possible cause up
transmission too hot.
Brake pedal not depressed.
Flash es Possible
cause
The release button in the selector lever did not engage.
blinks, alternating with the selector lever
indicator , for example D.
When the ignition is switched on, several warning
and indicator lights come on briefly for a funct ion
check . They go out after a few seconds .
Failure to heed warning text messages can cause the vehicle to break down in traffic and result in a injury.
or t ext WARN­
172 While driving Proper
response
Do not continue driving
the warni ng does not turn off, do not continue
driving.
175.
Drive at low en gine speed (rpm) to th e nearest
autho rized Vol kswagen dealer or authorized
Volkswagen F acility to have th e system
checked .
Always stop the vehicle as soon as it is safe to do so.
damage.