Booklet 3.1 Controls and Equipment
If the warning light ligh ts up again after d rivi ng
o n for a sh o rt dis tan ce, stop the vehicle and
swi tch off the engine. C onta ct an authorized
V olk swa gen deal er or a qualifi ed wor ksh op.
WARNING
Stop! Before working in the engine compart
ment, always read and heed all WARNINGS
3.2 "Working in the engine com
partment. " The engine compartment of any
motor vehicle is a pot entially dangerou s area
and can cause serious personal injury.
WARNING
Hot steam or coo lant can cause serious burns.
• Never open the engine hood if you sec
steam or coo lant escapi ng from the engine
compartment. Always wa it until you no longer
sec or hea r steam or coo lant escap ing from the
engi ne.
• Always let the en gi ne to cool down com
pletely before carefully open ing the engine
h ood. Hot components w ill burn skin on co n
tact.
• When the engine has cooled down and you
are ready to open the engine hood:
R emove the key from the ignition.
Engine oil pressure 9=:7:
WARNING (continued)
Apply the parking brake firmly and put
the selector in P (Park, automatic trans
mis sion) or Neutral (manual transmis
s ion) .
Keep c hildren a nd oth ers away from the
vehicle.
• Never reach into the area around or touch
the radiato r fan. Contact with the blades can
re sult in serious persona l injury.
• Alway s remember that the radiator fan is
temperature-contro lled and can t urn on sud
den ly - even when the engine has been
switched
for a longer period of tim e and the
k ey has been removed from the ignition.
• Never unscrew the coolant expansio n tank
ca p when the engine is hot. A hot engine will
h eat the coolant and put it under pressure . Re
moving a ca p that is under pressure can result
in serious personal injury and/or burns.
• Alw ays protect face, hands and arms from
h ot escap ing coo lant or steam by cover ing the
cap w ith a large, thick rag.
• Turn the cap slowly and very carefully in a
co unt er-clockwise direction while applying
light downward pres sure on the top of the cap.
• Never sp ill antifreeze or coo lant on the ex
haust system or hot engine parts. Under some
co ndit ions, the ethylene g lyco l in engine
coo lant can catch fire.
This warning symbol indicat es that the en gin e oil pressure is low.
I f thi s wa rning symbo l s tart s to flas h. an d thr ee
w arning s sound , sw itch th e e ngin e and ch ec k
th e oi l leve l. Top off with en gin e oil if necessary
3.2 "Tip s an d Adv ic e" , ch ap te r "E n
g in e o il."
The follo win g inform ation text is disp la ye d:
ST OP Oil p ressure Engin e off Owner 's manual!.
If th e sy mb ol fl as hes eve n though the oil l eve l is
co rrec t, do 11 01 drive on. D o not le t th e engine
idl e. Co nta ct a n authori zed Vo lksw age n d eale r
or a qua lified wo rksh op .
Tip s
Th e oil pre ssure wa rnin g symbol is not an oil
l eve l ga uge. Check the o il leve l reg ularl y, pre fe r
a bl y every time you get gas .
Instrument panel 25
Booklet 3.1 Controls and Equipment
Brake pad wear indicator"
Since the brake pad wear indica tor onl y m on i
to rs th e front brak e pad s, h ave the rea r brak e
pad s in spected at che same tim e.
T he fo llowi ng information tex t is dis pla yed:
Check brake pad
Doors
WARNING
Driving with bad brak es can ca use a co llision
a nd ser io us pers onal injur y.
• I -l av e the br ake pad s inspe cted immedi
a te ly by an authori zed Volk swagen d eal er or
qu alifi ed wo rksh op if th e brake pads wo rn
s ymbo l lights
The warning indicates , when th e ign ition is switch ed on , that door s are
op en.
Th e warning sh ou ld go out whe n all
door s are pro perl y closed. •
Windshield washer fluid level
This warnin g light li ghts to indicate windshield washer leve l too
Low.
Yo u sh ou ld to p off th e reservo ir as soo n as pos
s ibl e 3.2 , c h apt er "W indshi eld was her
sys tem". T
he in forma tion text displ aye d in th e in stru
m ent clu ste r di splay is : Top up wash
Display for open engine hood or rear lid
The warning Light indicates that the engine or rea r lid is open when the ig
nition i s switc hed on.
Warn ing sh ould go o ut when th e
e n g in e hood or r ear lid is properly closed. •
Fuel level too low
This symbol li ght s to indicate that Ju.el tank i s down to the rese rve le vel.
The symb ol light s up when th e am oun t of fu el
in ch e fu el t an k is do wn to approx imate ly 1.8 ga l
l o n s (7 licers). A n aco ust ic warnin g is a lso g ive n.
Th is se rves as a remind er
to up with fue l a t
26 Inst rument panel
th e nex t oppor tunity . =boo klet 3 .2, ch ap ter
"F illin g th e tank "
inform atio n tex t d isp layed in th e in stru
m ent clu ster dis p lay is: Please
Table of contents
Smart technology ........... ... .. .. .
Brakes .............. .. .. ..... .. .. .• .....
Po we r stee ring ....... .. ..... ... .. ...... .
Notice about data recorded b y vehicle
contro l modu les ....... ........ .... ..... .
Driving and protecting the
environment ..... ... .... ..... ...... ..
Break-in Pe riod ... ... ........ ......... . ..
Catalytic converter ....... .. .. .. ....... ..
T ra ile r t owi ng . . . . . . . . ... ............ .. .
D riv ing economically o nd respecti ng the
environmen t ... .... ..... ............. ... .
Cleaning and protection ........ . .
General notes .... .... ... ....... .. ...... .
Car e of veh icle exte rior ....... ..• ...... ..
C ore of the vehicle interior ... ..... ..•. ..
Accessories, new parts, repairs
and modifications .......... ...... ..
Accesso ries and pa rts .......... .... .... .
R epa irs and technica l modifications ..... .
Cellu lar phones a nd CB radi os ........ . .
2
2
6
6
7
7
10
10
14
16
16
17
23
27
27
28
29
Booklet 3 .2 Tip s and Advice
Checking and Filling 30
Fill ing the tank . . . . . . . . . .. .. . . .. . . .. . • . . . . 30
Fu el supp ly . .. . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Working in the eng ine compa rtment . . . . . 34
Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . .. . . .. .. . . . .. .. . . .. . . 37
Coo lant ....... .... .... ...... ... ......... 43
Wos he r fluid and wind shie ld wiper blade s 45
Brok e fluid . . . . . . .. . .. . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 47
Vehicle battery . . . . . . . . . .. . .. .. .. . .. . . .. . 49
T ir es and wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
What do I do now? . .. .. . . .. . . . . .. . 67
Vehicle tools and spore whee l . . . . . . • . . . . . 67
Changing a whe el . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .. • . . . . . 68
Em erg ency closing or opening . . . • . . . . . . . 7 5
F use s . . . . . . . .. .. . .. .. . . . .. . . . . . . .. . . .. . . . 77
Cha nging a light bulb . .. .. . . . .. .. . • .. . . . 81
Jump start ing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . 84
To wing .... ... . . .. . .. .... ....... ... . . .•. . 86
Lifting th e ve hicle .. . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . 89
C onsumer Info rmat ion . . . . . • . . . . . . 90
Alphabetical index . . . . . . . . . 92
Table of contents
Booklet 3.2 Tips and Advice
Braking power and braking distance
Braking power and braking distance are influenced by driving situations and
road
Worn brake pads will not provide good braking.
The amount of wear and tear on the brake pads
depends to a great extent on the cond itions
und er which the vehicle is opera ted and the way
the vehicle is dr iven. If you do a lot of city
driv ing, drive short distances or have a sporty
driving style, we reco mm end th at you have the
thickness of your brake pad s checked by an au
thor ized Volkswagen dea ler more frequently
than r ecommend ed in the service schedule.
I f you dr ive witJ1 wet brakes , for example after a
dri ving through water,
heavy rainfall or
after washing the vehicle, brakin g power will be
reduced and sto pping distances w ill be longer
because the brake d iscs will be wet or in winter
ma ybe even frozen
the brakes must be dried
with severa l ca reful brake applications.
Brake fluid absorbs water and must be c hanged
every two years. Heavy use of the brakes can
cause vapor lock if the brake fl uid is too old.
Va por lock reduces braking power, increases
stopp ing distances and can even cause total
brake failure.
WARNING
• New tires and new brake pads do not pro
v id e maximum grip, control or braking abilit y.
• To reduce the risk of losing control, a colli
s ion and se rious persona l injuries, drive with
special ca re for the first
350 mil es (560 km).
• New brake pads do not have the best stop
ping power for the first
150 mil es (240 km) and
must be broken in. You can com pensate for
the slightly reduced braking ability by drivin g
w ith care and applying more pressure on the
brak e pedal.
• Never fo llow other vehicle s too close ly or
put yourse lf into other situ ations that might
r equ ire s udden , hard brakin g especially when
th e brake pads have not been broken in.
WARNING
Wet brake s or brak es coa ted ice or road
sa lt react slower and need longer stopping dis
tanc es.
• Carefully apply brakes for a lest.
• Alwa ys dry brake s and clean olT ice coa t
ings and salt coa tings with a few cautiou s
brake app lica tions.
• Always read and hee d all
in "Break ing in tir es and brake pads" on
page 7.
WARNING
Overheated brakes will reduce the vehicle's
s topping power and increase stoppin g di s
tances.
• Always avoid over hea tin g the brakes!
• When driving downhill, the brakes have to
work hard and hea t up quickly .
• Before driving clown a long, steep hill, al
ways red uce spee d and downshift to a lower
gea r. This will let th e ve hicle use engine
braking and reduce the load on the brakes.
• Always c han ge the brake fluid at least
every two years. Hard braking with old brake
fluid may cause a va por lock. Vapor lock re
duces brakin g power, increases s topping dis
tan ces and can even ca use to tal brake failure.
• A damaged front spoiler or new non stan
dard spoile r ca n reduce the airflo w to the
brake s and cause them to overheat.
• Always sec an au thorized Vo lkswage n
dealer or qualil1ed workshop if yo u think th at
you may have damaged the front spoiler.
• Be sure to read and heed all WARNINGS
and the information =-page 27, "Accessories
and part s" before buying accessorie s.
8 Driving and protecting the environment
Booklet 3.2 Tips and Advice
Engine oil consumption
I n ord er to provide effective lubri cation and
cooling of int ern al eng ine compo nents, all in
t e rnal combu stion engines use a ce rtain amount
of oil. Oil co nsumpti on varies from en gi ne
to en
gine and may change significantly over the life of
th e e ngine. T ypicall y engin es whi ch have a
break -in period, us e mor e oi l during the break
in pe riod than they do after the break-in period,
wh en oil consumption has stabilized.
Vo lksw age n recommend s that you use the ty p e
of oil that m eets th e s pec ifica tion s described
=:p age 37 ,
oil sp eci fica tion s".
Und er norm al cond ition s, the rate of oil con
s umpti on d ep ends on the qua lity of the o il as
w ell as it s viscos ity, the
(revolu tions per
minut e) at w hich the en gin e is operated, the
outside te mperature. the ro ad conditions as we ll
as the amount of oil di lution by co nden sa tio n
wa ter or fuel residu e and
th e ox idati on level
of the o il. As engines o il co nsumption incr ease ove r time until r epla cement of wo rn
eng ine parts may become ne cessary.
of a ll of th ese vn riabl es, it is not p ossible to sp ecify standnrd or rate o f oil con
s umpti on. For that re ason, urge you to ch eck
the oil level in yo ur en g in e a t regu la r int erval s,
pr efe rabl y every time yo u re fu el, a nd alwa ys be
fore going on
long trip.
The oi l pre ssure light i s not an indicator of low
e n g ine oil level. If the warnin g light doe s not go
out or flashes while drivin g (above 1500 e ngin e
a buzzer will so und. It indicates that the
o il pr essure is too low . Stop the engine imm edi-
38 Checking and Filling
ate ly, check th e engine oil leve l and add oil if
n ecessa ry. If th e eng ine oil l eve l is no rmal, but
th e light continu es to flash, do not continu e to
operate the ve hicl e. Engine dama ge ma y occ ur.
If yo u believe your engine u ses excess ive
amount s of oil, we reco mme nd that you co nsult
yo ur
Volkswagen d ea le r so that th e
ca use of conce rn can b e prop erl y diag
n ose d. Keep in mind t hat th e acc urate m easure
m ent of nil consumpti on require s great car e and
ma y ta ke so me tim e. Yo ur Vo lkswagen deale r h as
in stru cti ons ho w
meas ure o il co nsumpti on
nccurately.
WARNING
S top ! Before working in the engi ne co mpart
ment, a lways read and heed all WARN INGS
34. T he engine compar tment of a ny
m oto r ve hicl e is a potentially dangerous area
an d ca n ca use s eriou s personal injury.
Note
• The engin e in your vehicl e dep en ds on o il to
lub ricate and cool all of its mo vin g parts . Th ere
fo re th e e ngin e oi l mu st be ch ec ked reg ularly
and k ept at th e req uir ed l evel.
• Make it a habit to have the e ngin e n il leve l
c h ec ke d eve ry tim e you refuel.
• Lack of eng in e o il ma y caus e seve re engine
d amag e.
• The
pressure warni ng ligh t is not oil
l eve l indi cato r. ._
Booklet 3.2 Tips and Advice
Checking the coolant level and topping off
The correct coolant level is important for correct functioning of the engine cooling
system .
Fig. 7 In the engine compartment: coolant expan
s ion tank
To get a true reading, the vehicle must be
on level grou nd. Before opening the en
gine hood, always read and heed all
WARN INGS
34, is job No. l
when working in the eng ine compart
If th e coo lant level drops too low,
th e wa rning text
STOP Ch eck coolant
O w ner's manual!
is disp layed in the instru
ment cluster and t he engine coo lant
level/temperatu re wa rning lig h t lights up.
Opening the coolant e xpansion tank
- Switc h off the eng ine and allow it to
coo l.
- To prevent scald in g, cove r the cap
8011 the expansion tank with a thick
cloth and ca refu lly un screw the
Checking coolant level
- Look into the open coo lant expansion
tan k and read off the coo lant leve l.
- If th e leve l is belo w the
mark , top
off w ith coolant.
Topping off coolant
- Only use new coolant.
44 Checking and Filling
Fi g. 8 In the engine compar tment: cap of coola nt
expansion tank
-Do not fill above the upper mark.
Closing the coolant expansion tank
-Reinsta ll the cap
pos itio n of t he coo lant expa nsion tank i s
show n in the corre spo ndin g en gin e co mpart
overview 3.3 'Technical data."
Make sure that the coola nt meets the required
s p eci fications
43. Do not use a different
typ e of add itive if coolant addit ive G 12 i s not
avai lable. In this case use only water and bring
coola nt co ncentrati on back up to th e corr ect
l eve l as soo n as po ssible by to pping off with the
s p ec ified addi tive
43 .
A lways top off wi th
Do not fill above the upper mark. Otherwi se the
excess ive coo la nt be pressed out of the
coo ling sys tem w hen th e engine is hot.
T he
additive G 12 (purp le) may be mixed
w ith G 12 (pink) and a lso with G 1 1.
WARNING
Stop! Before working in the e ngine compart
ment, a lways read and heed all WARNINGS
34. The engine compar tment of an y
motor vehicle i s a poten tially dangerous area
and can cause serious personal injury.
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