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 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
Booklet 3.2 Tip s and Advic e
Adding engine oil 9=::1':
Top off g radually
small of oil.
Fig. 6 In the engine comportment : engine oil filler
cap
To gel a true reading, the ve hicle m us t be
o n l eve l gro und. Before opening the e n
g ine hood, always read a nd heed all
WA RN INGS
34, "Safe ty is job No. I
w hen working in the engine compart
ment".
- Turn off the engine.
Unscrew the oil cap only 6 fr om
the cylind er h ea d cover . Yo u will sec the o il
can sy m bo l on top of the oil cap. If you arc
sur e, contact you r autho rize d Volk
swag en dea le r for assis ta n ce .
- Top off oil in sma ll amo unts (not more
than a half quart/li te r at a tim e), using the
co rrect oil.
- To avoid fiJling too much oil, wai l
while and check o il level before adding
mor e.
40 Ch ecking and Filling
- As soo n as the o il leve l is in a rea
39, fig. 5
oil fill er cap is s hown in the
c orre sp ondin g eng in e compartm en t diagram
En gine oi l add itives
Vo lksw age n docs not recom mend the use of oil
add itives . Th ey may adverse ly yo ur New
V ehicl e
WARNING
Stop! Before wo rk in g in th e eng ine c ompart
m ent , a lways read and heed WARN IN GS 34 . Th e eng ine com partm ent of an y
mot or ve hicle is a po te nti ally dang erous area
a nd can cause s eriou s personal injury.
WARNING
Spill ed oil i s a haz ard.
• The oi l filler cap must be properly secur ed
to preve nt oil fr om b eing spra yed on the hot
e n gin e an d ex hau st sys te m wh en th e e ngi ne is
runnin g.
Note
I f the oil le ve l
is above leve l 39, fi g . 5
co nven er and th e engin e! See an au
t h ori zed Volk swag en dealer or qu alified work
s hop .
For the sake of e nvironment
Do not l et th e oil leve l get above
Other
w is e oil can b e in through the cra nk case
breath er and e scape into the atm osphere
through th e exhau st
Booklet 3.2 Tips and Advice
Applies to vehicles: with a Diesel e ngine
Important information for vehicles with Diesel engine when adding or
changing engine oil
On vehicles with a Diesel engine always use engine oil conforms to Volk
s wagen Oil Standard 505
OJ when adding or changing engine oil.
Vehicl es with Diese l en gine s require and must
a lways use special engine o il that conforms to
Vo lkswage n Oil Stand ard 505 01.
Never use any ot her kind of engin e oil in your
ve hicl e, not even
ofT the oil leve l.
the time of printing. we are awar e Casprodu ces engin e o il that conform s not yet
be ava ilable throu ghout North Am erica. Other
o il manufacturer s ma y offer engin e oil that co n
fo rm s
Volkswa gen Oil Standard 505 01 this
tim e or some futur e elat e.
Please be sur e to consult
authorized
Vo lkswage n dealer for information and avail
abilit y of the prop er e ngin e oil f or yo ur vehicle' s
D iese l e ngine and fur
la tes t technical infor
13ec ause this specia l engin e oil may 1101 be avail
able when need strongl y recom mend that
yo u always carry you extra quart (liter ) o f oil co nforms to Vo lkswage n Oil 50 5
01, in case you have off oil while on the
road .
WARNING
Failure to use en gin e o il for your Diese l e n gi ne
that expre ssly co nforms to Vo lkswage n Oil
S tandard 505 01 can cause engine failure on
the highwa y that can ca use
cras h and seriou s
personal injury.
WARNING (continued)
• Never use any amo unt of eng ine o il in lhe
Diese l en gine th at does not conform to Vo lk
sw agen Oil Standar d 505 0 1.
•
carry w ith you an extra quart (liter )
of engine oi l that confor ms to Vo lkswa gen Oil
Sta ndard 505 01 in case yo u mu st top ofTthe oil
wh ile on the road.
WARNING
Improp erly s tored items can become airborne
mi ssiles, flyin g through the ve hicle ca using
ser ious personal injury in the event of hard
brak ing or an accident. To help r educe the risk
of ser io us perso nal injury:
• /\(ways store extra quart (lit er) of e ngine oil
for your Diesel en gine in its original oil con
tainer that is secure ly closed in the luggage
compar tment. Make s ure
container is se
cure ly stored and mounted.
Note
• lf yo u u se e ngin e oil that doe s not expressl y
co nform to Volkswage n Oil Standard 505 01, very
se riou s and very expe nsive damage t o your ve
hicle 's engin e wi ll occ ur. Engin e dam age caused
by using the wrong engin e oil is not cove red by
yo ur Limit ed New Vehicle Warranty.
• Not all comm ercia lly availabl e oil s conform
10 thi s very rigid Volkswagen oil qualit y s tanda rd
eve n though th ey may be symhetic-hased and
hav e th e same
Checking and Filling 41
Booklet 3.2 Tip s and Advice
Changing the engine oil
The engine oil be changed at the intervals listed in the Maintenance Booklet.
The engin e oil mu st b e c han ged a ccordin g to th e
int erva ls s pecified in your Ma intenan ce book le t
I. I.
Thi s is ve ry important becau se the lubri catin g
prop erti es of oil decrea se gradually during
n o rm al v ehicl e use. If yo u ar e no t sur e w hen you
yu ur yuur Vol k
sw age n Se rv ice Ad viso r.
Und er so me c ircum sta nces the e ngin e o il
s h o uld b e changed more freq u entl y. C hange oil
mor e often
you driv e mo stl y s hor t d is tan ce s.
opera te the veh icl e in dusty areas or mostl y
und er stop-and-g o traffi c conditi ons. o r wh en
yo u u se yo ur vehicl e where te mperatur es stay
b elow freez in g po int for l ong p eri o ds.
D eterge nt additive s in th e oil will m ake fres h oil
lo ok d ark aft er t he e ngin e ha s bee n runnin g fo r a
s hort t ime. T hi s is normal
is not a r easo n to ch an ge the oil mor e often than r ecomm end ed .
WARN ING
Sto p! Before w orkin g in the en gine compan
ment , alwa ys read and h eed all WARN INGS
34 . The engine co mpartment of motor vehicl e is a potentia lly dangerou s area
and can cause se rious perso nal inju ry.
WARNING
If yo u mu st cha nge the engine oil in yo ur ve
hicle:
• A lways wear eye pro tec tion.
• To reduce the risk of burns from hot e ngine
oil le t the engin e coo l down to th e to u ch.
42 Checking and Filling
WARNING (continued )
• When removi ng the oil drai n plug with
y our fing ers, s tay as far away as poss ible. A l
ways keep your forear m
to the ground
to h elp pr even t hot oil from ru nning down
your
• Drain the oil into a con ta in er des igne d for
th is on e large en ough to hold at least
th e to tal amo unt of oil in yo ur eng ine.
• To reduce t he risk of poisoning, neve r use
em pty food or beverage containers that might
mi slea d someo ne into drinkin g from them.
• Eng ine oil is poisonous. Keep it we ll out of
the rea ch of c hildren.
• Conti nuo us co nta ct with used e ngine oil is
h armfu l to yo ur skin. Alway s pro tec t yo ur skin
by wash ing th oroug hly wi th soa p and water.
For t he sake of environm ent
• Before ch angin g t he oil, fi rs t m ake sur e yo u
k now w here yo u can prop erl y di sp ose of the old
o il.
• Always disp ose o f u se d engin e oil prop erly .
N ev er dump it on garden soil. in wood ed ar ea s,
int o stream s or cl ow n se wa ge drain s.
• Recy cle use d engin e oil
takin g it t o a u sed
e n gin e o il co llect io n fa cilit y in your area , o r co n
ta ct a se rv ice sta tion.
• Beca use of th e probl em of prop er d is po sa l,
a long with the special too ls and nec ess ary exp er
ti se req uir ed,
stro ngly reco mm end that you
h ave yo ur oil ch ang ed b y an auth oriz ed Volk
swage n deale r o r a qualifi ed wo rks hop .
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
Booklet 3.2 Tips and Advice
Changing the brake fluid
The brake must b e chang ed e very ye ars
We r ecomm end th at yo u have the br ake fl uid
c h a nged by a n au th ori zed Volksw age n dea le r.
S to p! B efo re openin g th e eng in e hoo d, a lways
rea d and hee d all WA RN INGS
34. is jo b No . I w hen work ing in e n gine com
p a rtm ent ".
B rak e fluid absorbs mois tu re. Ove r tim e. it w ill
a bsor b wat er fr om th e air . If
co n1en 1 in
th e brak e fluid is too high, brake co uld co rro de. Too much wa te r in brake fl uid
co nsid erabl y re du ces th e boilin g of brak e fluid. Very heavy use of 1h e bra kes old
b ra ke fluid may ca use va por loc k. Va po r l oc k re
du ces brakin g powe r. in creases s!Opp in g di s
tan ces and can ev en cau se to tal br ake failur e.
Fo r thi s re a so n th e brak e fluid m ust be r epla ced
ev ery
y e ars.
Only use brak e fluid
th e US
standard FM VSS 116 D OT 4. Th e fluid mu st
b e new.
WARNING
Stop! Before working in the engine co mpart
m en t, a lways re ad and heed all
34. Th e eng in e co mpartm en t of motor vehicle is a po tent ially dangerou s area
and can ca use s eriou s per sona l injury.
WARNING
Brake failur e ca n r esult from old o r incorr ec t
brake fluid.
48 Ch ecking and Filling
,0. W ARN ING (c on tinue d)
• U se onl y brake fluid that meets SAE speci
fi ca tion J 1703 and conforms to Federa l Mo tor
Veh icle Safety Sta ndard 116.
• Alwa ys check wit h your a uthor ized Vo lk
s wagen dea le r to make su re that yo u arc usin g
the correc t
fluid.
• The correc t brake fluid is al so listed on the
l abe l o n the brake fluid reservo ir .
WARNING
Brake fluid is poison ous.
• Alway s store brake fluid in the closed or ig
inal contain ers in a safe place.
• To reduce the risk of po iso nin g, ne ver u se
em pty food or beverage co ntain ers that might
mislead someo ne into drinkin g from th em.
• Always keep brak e fluid out of the reac h of
c hildr en.
• Always c hange the brake fluids as required
in the m aint enan ce boo klet. Heavy braking
w ith old brak e fluid m ay cause a va por lock
th at reduces braking power , in crea ses stop
pi ng di sta nce s an d can eve n ca use tota l brake
Note
Llrake fluid ca n d am age t he pa int. Wipe
a n y
b ra ke fluid from th e pa int imm edi ately.
flu id mu st be dr ained and di sp ose d of in
t h e prope r ma nne r observ in g environme ntal
reg ulatio ns.