2010 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF Owners Manual

Introduction
this sec tion
b attery . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
Th e standard 12 vehicle battery is pa rt of the
veh ic le electr ical sys te m .
N ever do any wor k on
the ve hic le elec trica l system
unl ess you
know ho w to carry out the job ,
have the correct te chn ical infor m ation an d the
p roper an d
are familiar with t he necessary safety
Faci li ty .
Meaning
A lways w
ear eye pro tec tion !
B attery acid is highl y co rrosive.
ces hydrogen gas whic h is highly
away from
Warra nty an d Maint enance
283
238 Care, cleaning, maintenance
Working on the batteries or the tem in your vehicle can cause serious acid
burn s, fires , explosions , or electrical shocks. read and heed the and safety precaution s before working on the batteries or the
switch off the ignition and
cable from the standard 12
always
switch off the light first.
batteries in
wear eye protection . Never contact with your eyes, skin, or clothing.
battery acid is very corrosive.
ness. wear protective gloves and eye
protection . To reduce your risk of injury, er acid through the vents and burn you.
you get battery acid in your eyes or on your skin , immediately rinse w ith water for minutes and then get immediate attention.
disconnect th e negative ( -) first and then the tive
switch off consumers
before reconnect ing the 12 batt eri es. connect th e cable(+) first and then the
n egative cable(-). Never reverse the polarity of the c onnections. Thi s
explo sive mixture of ga ses is en off when the battery is being charged.
e quipm ent. Never short circuit the battery terminals . High-ener-gy spark s can cause serious personal injury.

California Proposition 65 Warning
nect 2 vehicle batteries to each other when the ignition is switched on or the engine is
tem or electronic components.
violet rays may damage the battery housing.
dam-aged by freezing . Warning light
on
Alterna tor malfun ction .
W he n t he igni tion i s sw itched on, severa l wa rnin g
a n d i ndi cato r li g ht s
come on brie fly for a functio n
check . They go out after a few seconds.
Failure to heed warning
Faci lity . H av e the
e le c tric al sys tem checked. o ff unn ecessa ry electrica l loads . The ve-batt ery
to h ee d warning or text can result in vehicle damage.

Fig. 133 the engi ne compartment: Remove the
cover from the vehicle battery.
first read and note the tory information and heed the on page 238.
of the battery if th e vehicle has high in with a
warm a nd if the vehicle has an
Prepare the for work in the engine pa rtm ent 222
the engine hood in Introduction on
page 222
With a hard cover: Press on the 133 in direct ion of t h e arrow and remove the cove r upwa rd.
W ith a son cover: the cove r to the
side in th e direction of the arrow 1 34 .
Checking the vehicle battery acid
the lighting co nd it ions are poo r, use a so tha t you can see the ba ttery charge
indica tor and
The rou nd batt ery window on th e top of the battery ch anges
Care, cleaning, maintenance Fi
g. 134
cove ring of the vehic le battery .
Action cation
Battery
is too The vehicle battery may need to be Light yellow replaced. Have it chec ked by an or colorless thorized Volkswagen or an a uthor ized Volksw ag en
is sa tisfac-
tory.
Working on the batteries can cause serious acid burns, explosion, or
can burn unprotec te d skin and cause ne ss. and eye protection.
Never out of th e battery vents a nd burn you.
Never open a vehi cle battery .
you get battery acid in your eyes or on your skin, immediately rinse with water for several minutes and t hen ge t immediate
medical attention.
you any battery acid, get medi-

Charging,
on page 238.
Charging the vehicle battery
Vehicle batteries should be charged by an author­
ized Volkswagen dealer or an authorized Volkswa­
gen
because the factory -installed
battery requires a charger with overload protection
Replacing the vehicle battery
The battery in your vehicle is
batteries meet­
ing standards TL 825
electrical system, note the following :
off
Unlock the vehicle before disconnecting the
battery; otherwise the alarm system
Fir st disconnect the negativ e cable(-) and then the positive
Connecting the vehicle battery
Pr ior to reconnecting the battery , switch off electrical sys tems and devices and the ignition .
Connect the posit ive cable(+) first and then the
negative cable (-)
After the battery is connected and the ignition is
sw itched on, different indicator light s may come on. They should go out after you drive a short distance
ice Facility and have the checked.
th e ign ition not start after reconnecting the vehicle battery , lock the vehic le from the outside
and unlock it again. Then try to start the ignition
again.
lhe ignition cannot be switched on, con­
tact an authorized Volkswagen dealer, an author­
ized Volkswagen
o r another quali­
fied workshop for assistance.
Automatic electrical load deactivation
onboard electrical system management auto mati ­takes steps to help prevent battery drain.
The idle speed is increa sed so that the alterna­
t o r provides more power.
Th e power to devices that consume a lot of electricity is cut back or switched off completely.
When the engine is started, the power supply to the 12
Long periods when the engine is not running,
especially when the ignition is on .
Using electr ical sys tems or devices when the
engine is swi tched off. Leaving the
The selecto r lever is left for a long period of time in any position other than P when the ignition
is swi tched off =>page 175.
Failure to use th e proper battery with proper mounting and connection s may cause short circu its, fires, and serious persona l injuries.
Always use only maintenance-free or cy-
cle-free, leak-proof batteries with the sa me
s p ec ifications and dimensions as the original
equipment b attery. Specifications are listed
on the battery housing.
Wh en the vehicle battery is ch arged, it produ-
ces highly explosive hydroge n gas.
th e engine compartment

Never disconnect the vehicle battery when
th e ignition switched on or the engine is run­ning, as the electrical system or electronic components can be damaged .
socket in order to charge the vehicle
batt ery . This can damage the vehicle's electri­
cal
syst e m .
Dispose of the battery according to regulations . batteries contain poison­
ous substa nces such as sulfuric acid and lead .
Battery acid can pollute the environment. Catch leaking operating fluids and dispose of
them properly.

this se ction fin d i nfo rmation abo ut
Was hing the
244
Was hing with a power washer . . . . . . . . .
. . 245
Clea ning windows
and outs id e m irr ors . .
. . . . . 248
Caring for and cleani
ng chr ome and
a luminum parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . 248
Care
of rubber door and window seals . . . . . . 249
Deicing door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Undercoati ng . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
C leani
ng the engine compartment . . . . . . . . . . 249
Regu la r
and expert care helps to preserve the value of your vehicle. Such expert care may
Limite d Warra nt y if corrosion repair or re pa int ing is necessary .
from your au­
thorized Vol kswagen deale r or Authorized
More information:
ca re and clea ning
the instructions and
care products containing solvents can
damage plastics and other vehicle the materi­
Wash the vehicle a t
fro m enteri ng the
storm drain sewer system. to was h motor
When buying vehic le care products , try to choose those that are not harmful to the envi­
ro nment.
Never throw ou t ordinary household waste. Always read and
h eed the instructions and on the
package .
Vehicle care and maintenance 243

Washing the vehicle
tory information and heed the on page 243 .
T he longer insect splatter , bird droppings, tree sap,
r oad dirt , indust rial deposits , tar , soot , road
and othe r aggressive materials stay on your cle, the more damage they do to the paint finish.
H igh temperatures (includi ng strong sunlight)
oughly.
Car wash
Pay close attention to the information provided
by the car wash operator . B efo re goi ng throu gh a
ca r was h, b e s ure to take th e usual precautio ns t o
avoid damag e , such as closi ng the windows ,
The paint finish is toug h enough th at the vehicle can
the wheels and under the door
After the vehi cle ha s been washed , the wet brakes or, in winter, brake discs or pads ed with ice, react slower and need longer stopping distances .
WARNING
Always dry the brakes and clean off any ice coatings with a few careful applications of the brake . Make sure not to endanger other motorists or cyclists or disobey legal require-
ments .
edges under the vehicl e can cut ex-
posed skin.
Always protect your hands and arms from cuts on sharp metal edges when cleaning the under-body , the inside of the wheel housings,
etc.
The water temperature must not be more
than
Ne ver clean headlights with a dry cloth or sponge . Always use a w et cloth o r s ponge . For best result s use soapy water.
When washing or rinsing the vehicle in cold weather , do not
cult to open the vehicle!
To help prevent vehicle damage
in a car wash:
in the car wash to help prevent damage to wheel rims and tires!
Make sure there is enough clearance for the
height and width of the vehic le .
To help prevent paint damage to the engine
hood, place wiper blades against the shield after they have dried. Do not let them
snap back into place .
Lock the rear hatch to prevent unintentional
opening in the car wa sh .

Washing with a power washer
tory information and heed the on page 243.
A lways
M ake sure th ere is e nough dista nc e to soft .
N ever u
se concentrated jet nozzles or dirt
use of power washers can cause serious invisible permanent damage leading to tire and loss of vehicle control. This can cause accidents and serious personal in-jury.
blasters" to clean tires .
Even spraying from a relatively long distance for a very short time can do visible or invisi-
After the vehicle has been washed, the wet brakes or, in winter, brake discs or pads coat-ed with react slower and need longer stopping distances.
Always dry the brake s and clean off any coatings with a few careful application s of the brake. Make sure not to endanger other motorists or cyclists or disobey require-ments.
P le a se first read and note the
on page 243 .
C lea
ning windows and outside mirrors
Water temperature should not be more than
To help prevent damage to the paint, do not wash the vehicle in direct sunlight.
When using a power washer or steam er, only spray the sensors directly for a short period of time and always keep the nozzle at least 4 inches em) from the sensor.
Do not clean icy or snow-covered windows with a power washer.
hav e
a bsorbe d an oily resid ue t ha t sme ar th e glass
s u rfaces .
U
se w indow cleaner or a s ilicone remover to mov e r ubbe r, oil, grease and silico ne dep osits
care and maint enanc e 245