
Booklet  3.2  T ips  a nd  Advice 
Power  steering 
011  vehicles  with pow er  stee ring , th e of power  ass ista  nee  is  regu lated  e lec
t roni call y acco rdi ng  to vehicle  speed, stee rin g wheel  torque and  stee rin g w hee l 
angle. 
Th e power  assis tance prov ided  in the  power 
s te erin g sys te m  is  not  hydrau lic, but m e
c h ani ca l  usin g  an  elec tric  mot or.  The  adva n
t a ge s of  this steer ing  system  includ e th e fact  th at 
n o  hydra ulic co mponents  such  as hoses,  o il co n
t a in ers , 
o r fl uid s  are  re quired. 
Fu rth ermo re , t his  is co nsiderable  de crease  in 
e n ergy  req uir e d . T he e lec trome chani ca l s tee rin g 
sys te m . in  contras t to  th e hydrau lic sys te m 
(w hich  re qu ires  a  co nstant  flo w of  fluid ), only 
co nsume s energy  when  th e  ve hicle  is  actua lly 
be ing stee re d. 
T he  fu el consump tio n  i s re du ced  as a res ult. 
If th e electro mec han ica l  p owe r stee ring sys te m 
fa ils,  the pow er a ssis ted  stee ring system 
w ill still 
work.  If  th e  engin e is  sw itch ed  off,  the pow er  s
teer ing  does no t fun ctio n and  th e steer ing 
wh eel is  ve ry  hard  t o tu m . 
WAR NING 
Turning  th e  s teer ing whe el is  very w hen  t he  power  s tee rin g sys tem  is n ot 
work ing  and it is  harder  to co ntrol  the veh icl e. 
•  Neve r le t t he  veh icle  coast  with  th e  engine 
swit ch ed  off. 
Do  no t kee p th e  steer ing wheel  turned  all the 10 left  or righ t fo r m ore  than  15  seco nds 
w hen  th e e ngin e  is  runnin g. Doin g so  co uld 
damag e th e  powe r steer ing 
Data 
H eco rder  (EDH ),  in sta lled  by so me manufa c
tur ers 
the  exp ress  purpo se of ca pturing  data 
fo r retr ieva l aft er an  acci den t or  cra sh  eve nt. 
are so metimes  called  "cras h recorders". 
So me s tat e laws  res tr ict  t he  re tri eva l or  down 
loadin g of  da ta  sto re d  by  ED 
that  were  in
s ta lled  in a  vehicle  for  the exp ress  p urpose  of re
tr iev ing  dat a  af te r  an  acc ident  or  crash  event 
wit hou t th e Owner's  conse nt. 
your  vehicl e is  not  equipped  with an it  is  equipp ed  with number  of e lec tro nic 
contro l modu les  for  variou s  vehicle  sys te m s 
s u ch  as,  fo r ex am ple . e ngine  function,  em iss io n 
6  Smart  t echno logy 
co ntrol,  as we ll as  fo r th e  airbags  and safe ty 
be lts. 
The se elec tronic  con trol  mod ules  also 
ve
hi cle-re late d  dat a dur in g  nor mal  ve hicle  ope ra
ti on  for  diag nos tic and  re pair purp oses.  The  re
cordi ng  capaci ty  of  the e lec tron ic  co ntro l mod 
ul es  is limit ed  to  data  (n o so und  is record ed ) a nd 
on ly  a  small  amo unt  of data  is ac tually reco rde d 
ove r a  very  limited  p eriod  of tim e and  stor ed 
a  sys te m  fau lt or o th er co ndition is se nse d by co ntro l un it.  So me of dat a th en  sto red 
m ay  re late  to ve hicle  sp ee d, direc tion,  braking  as 
well a s res traint  system  use and performan ce in 
th e  eve nt of a  cra sh  or  o th er  conditi on. S to red 
c an  only  be  rea d and  downloade d wit h spe
cia l  

Booklet 3.2 Tips  and  Advice 
Driving  and  protecting  the 
environment 
Break-in  Period 
B reak-in  for  a  new  engine 
The en gine  needs  to be broken  i n during  the first  1000 miles  (1500 km ). 
For  the  first 600 miles (1000 km) 
- Do n ot dri ve faste r than three  q uarters 
or  top  speed  shown  on  th e speedo mete r. 
- Do  not u se  full th rott le . 
- Avo id high eng ine  speeds. 
- Do  not  tow a tra iler. 
From 600 to 1000 miles (1000 to 
1500 km) 
- Speeds  ca n be  grad ually  increased  to 
the  maximu m vehic le speed  or max imum 
perm iss ibl e en gine  spee d (rpm ). 
Breaking  in  tires  and  brake  pads 
Durin g first  few  hou rs  of  driv in g,  the e n
g ine 's in te rn al fri cti on  is  hi gh er  than  it  will  be 
all  th e  m ov in g  pan s ha ve  bee n 
broken  in. 
For the sake  of  en vironment 
lfth c engine  is  brok en  i n ge ntl y, the  life of  the 
e ngin e w ill b e in crease d and  it s oil cons umptio n 
New  tires s hou ld  be b roken  in ca refu lly fo r the first  350 mi les (560 km).  New  b rake 
pads  s houl d  be  broken  in  ca refu lly fo r 
first  150 miles  (240 
WARNING 
Ne w tir es  and  brak e pad s do  no t pro vid e m ax
imum  grip , co ntrol  or b rakin g abilit y. 
W ARNING ( continue d) 
•  T o  reduce th e ris k  of los ing co ntrol,  a colli
s io n and  serious  perso nal  injuri es, drive w ith 
s p ecial  car e for  the fir st 35 0 mil es  (560 km ). 
•  New  brake  pads  do  not  have th e be st  stop 
pin g powe r for  the fir st 1 50 mil es (24 0 km) and 
mu st b e bro ken  in. You ca n comp en sa te  for 
th e sli ghtl y re du ced  brakin g 
by apply in g 
mor e pr ess ure o n  th e bra ke p ed al. 
•  Never  fo llow  other  vehicle s to o clo sely  or 
put  your se lf into  oth er  situ ation s th at mi ght 
re quir e sudd en, hard br akin g es peci all y w hen 
th e b rak e pads  have  not b ee n brok en 
Driving  and  protecting  the  environment 7  

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 
Applies to veh icles: with  o gaso line engi ne 
Catalytic  converter 
Help  the  catalytic  converter  do  its  job 
for  a  long  time : 
-Alwa ys use  unl eaded  gasol ine. 
- Never 
the  ta nk  complet ely  empty . 
- Do  not  put  in  too  much  en gin e oil 
40,  "Adding  engine  oil 
-Never  tow the ve hicle to  start  it,  use 
jump er  cab les  if n ecess ary 
85. 
If yo u notic e mi sfiring,  uneve n runn ing or loss  of 
power  w hen  th e  vehicl e is  m ov ing , s low  down 
immediate ly  and  h ave the vehicl e in sp ec te d by 
th e nea res t a uth oriz ed Volk swagen  deal er or 
qu alifi ed  wo rksh op.  These  co nditions w ill u su
a ll y  be  in dic ated  b y an  ind icator  light 
3. 1,  chapt er "Warning  light s."  If thi s 
happ ens,  raw  f uel ca n ge t int o th e ex hau st 
sys te m , d am age  t he ca ta ly ti c  co nverte r and  es
ca pe  int o th e atmosp here . 
WARNING 
A  ca ta ly tic  conver te r  get s very  hot and  can 
cau se  lir e ca usin g se riou s personal  injury. 
•  Neve r park  where  th e cata lytic  converter 
co uld  come  into conta ct with  dry grass  o r any 
other  flammabl e materials  under  the  vehicl e. 
Trailer  towing 
Technical  requirements 
Yo ur  Volk sw agen  was  desig ned  primaril y for 
pas seng er  tr an spor ta ti on. If yo u plan  to 
trai ler , plea se re m emb er th at yo ur ve hicle w ill be 
p erformin g a serv ice  for  whi ch  it w as  not  prim a
ril y in ten ded.  The  addit io na l lo ad  will  affec t du
r ability,  hand lin g, econ omy  and p erfor mance. 
Tra iler to wing  not  only  pl aces  more s tress  on  the 
ve hicle,  it  a lso  calls  for mor e co nce ntrati on from 
t h e  dr ive r. 
WARNING  (continued) 
• Never  appl y additional  under coating  or 
ru st proofin g on  or near  the ex haus t manifold , 
exhaust  pipes,  ca ta ly tic  conver te r  or  hea t 
s hi elds. 
39 ,  fig . 5 d o  not  sta rt  the e ngi ne thi s co uld dama ge 
the  catalyt ic  c onverter  and  the  e ngin e! See  an 
a uthori zed Vo lkswage n dea le r or a  qualifi ed 
works hop. 
•  To avoi d dama ge to  th e ca talyti c conve rter  al
ways  rea d and  hee d th e in formation  on 
=:page  32, "Fu el suppl y". 
For  the  sake  of  environment 
Even  when  th e e missio n co ntro l syste m  is 
worki ng perf ec tly, yo u may so metim es s mell 
s ulfur  from th e ex hau st  d ep endin g on th e 
a m ount  of  sulf ur  in th e fu el  you  arc  usi ng. T he 
s m ell  ca n usua lly  be so lved  by ch angin g  to  an 
ot her  brand  of ga solin e. T railer 
For  th ese  reason s, a lwa ys fo llow  the o pera tin g 
an d dri vi ng  in stru ction s given  a nd  use  comm on 
se nse. 
T railer  hitch 
U se  a we ig ht -carry ing  hitch  co n fo rm ing 
trail er hit ch re movab le 
ball  mount. ch eck with  th e  traile r  hit ch 
10  Driving  and  protecting  the  environment  

WARN ING  (continu ed) 
•  Exceed ing permi ssibl e weig ht ratings  can 
r es ult  in  ve hicl e da m age,  accide nts, and  per
sona l 
Driving  tips 
For  th e best  handlin g of ve hicle  and  trailer, 
p lease  note  th e fo llowing: 
•  A "bala nce d"  rig  is  easie r 
operate  and con
trol.  This m ean s  th a t th e tow  vehicl e should  b e 
loaded  to th e  extent  p ossible and  p ermi ssible 
whil e keep ing  th e  trailer  as  light  as  po ssibl e 
und er  th e  circum stanc es. Wh eneve r po ssib le, 
tran sfe r  som e cargo  to the 
co mpar tment 
of  the  tow  vehicl e w hile  obs ervin g tongu e loa d 
req uirem ents  and  vehicle  loa ding  consid er
a tion s. 
•  The high er  th e s pee d, the  more 
it  be 
come s fo r the  drive r to  control  th e  rig.  Do  not 
dr ive  at the  maximum  permis sibl e 
•  Always appl y br akes  earl y. When  driving 
d ow nhill, d ownshi ft  into  a lower  gear to u se  the 
e ng in e  brak in g  eff ec t to slo w  down  the ve hicle. 
U se  of the brake s alo ne  ca n ca use  them  to ove r
h ea t an d fail. 
•  The coo ling effect  of the rad iator  fan  cann ot 
b e  in crease d by dow nsh ifti ng  beca use  fan  sp ee d 
i s  ind epend ent  of engine  sp ee d.  The re for e, 
Trailer  towing  tips 
Your vehicle  handles diff ere nt ly  wh en  t ow in g a 
t ra iler b ecause  of  the a ddit io na l weight  and 
weig ht d is tribut ion. S af ety.  perform ance  and 
e conomy  will  gr ea tly  depend  on  how  car efull y 
yo u load  your  tra iler 
yo ur  rig. 
B efor e y ou  actua lly 
your  tra iler,  practice 
t urn ing.  stoppin g and  backing  up in  an  ar ea 
away  from 
until yo u l earn  the feel  of  your 
ve hicle and  trailer  unit. 
Backing  up  is 
r e quir es prac tice . 
S teer ing w hile backing  up is  generall y opposite 
of  th at wh en  backing  your  vehicl e w ith out  a 
tra iler. 
Booklet 3.2 Tip s and  Advice 
wh en dr iving  uphill , yo u can  alwa ys dri ve  in the 
hi gh est  po ssible gea r wit h low  e ngin e sp ee d.  If 
th e coo lant  te mp erature  warning  light  in  the in
s trument  cluste r  start s fla shin g in  red , p ull  off 
the  road , stop and  le t th e e ngin e id le  for abou t 
minute s to  pre vent hea t bu ildup  and engin e 
damag e. 
WARNING 
• Reduce  you r speed  even  more  under  unfa
vora ble load,  wea ther  or  w ind  condi tions 
p artic ular ly w hen  goi ng  dow nhill. 
•  Be especia lly  carefu l w hen  passing  o ther 
veh icles.  Redu ce ve hicle  sp eed  immediate ly if 
the  tra iler  sh ow s the  sli ghtest  sig n  of  sway ing. 
•  Neve r try  to  stop  the sway ing by  acceler
ating. 
•  Always  heed  speed  lim its.  In some  a reas 
speed  lim its for  vehicl es  tow ing  tra ilers  are 
l ower  than  for  reg ular 
Keep  more  di stan ce between  your vehicl e and 
th e one  in front  of you. will  nee d m ore  roo m 
to  stop. 
To  compens ate  fo r th e  traile r,  yo u w ill n eed  a 
l a rger  than  normal  tu rning 
When  passing , reme mber  that  you  can not acce l
erate  as  fast  as  you  normall y wou ld because  of 
t h e  added  load. Make  sur e yo u ha ve enough 
room  to  pas s. After  passing,  allow  plen ty  of room 
fo r yo ur  tr aile r befor e changing  la nes aga in. 
Avoid  jerk y s tart s, sharp  turns or  rapid  lan e 
c h ange s. 
Driving  and  protecting  the  env ironment  13  

Regular  servicing 
By  hav ing ve hicl e serviced  reg ularly  by  an 
aut horiz ed Volksw age n dea le r  yo u ca n  es tab lish 
th e bas is  for  a  good  fuel eco nomy  even 
before yo u start  driving.  A we ll maint ain ed  an d se rv ic ed 
e n gi ne  g ives  you  t he  be nefit of  bett er fu el effi 
cie ncy  as well as  maximum  re liabi liry  and  a 
g rea ter  res ale  val ue. 
Short  distances 
T he  engi ne  and  catal ytic  conve rter mu st reach 
the ir o ptim al  o p eratin g te m pe ratur e befo re y ou 
se e a sig n ifi ca nt  reduc tio n in  exhaus t emi ssions. 
A  cold  engin e will  use m ore  fuel  until  it rea ch es 
it 's  ope ra ting  t emp eratur e at  whic h po int  th e 
Warranty  coverages 
Yo ur  Volkswagen  is  covered  by  th e follow in g 
warra nties: 
•  Li mited  New  Ve hicle Warranty 
•  L imited Powertrain  Warra nty 
•  Li mited  Warra nty  Aga in st  Co rrosion  Perfora
t io n 
•  Emi ssio ns  Cont rol Sys tem  Warranry 
Booklet  3.2  Tip s and  Advice @ 
An  eng in e  th at is  no t p rop erl y  ma intained  can 
use  up  to  10 %  more  fuel  than  ne cessary. 
Check  the oil l eve l eve ry tim e you ge t gas 
39.  Oil co nsumpti on  d ep end s la rge ly  on 
t h e  engine  load  a nd  eng in e 
fuel  consump tion  will impro ve. A lso  imp ortant 
i s  the  out sid e tempera ture. Th e  co ld er  the  out
s id e te m peratur e, the  g rea te r th e fu el 
•  Emi ssio ns  Perfor mance  Wa rranty 
•  Califo rnia Emi ssions Co ntrol Warranty  (U SA 
ve hicl es  only) 
•  California  E missio ns  Perfo rmanc e Warranty 
( U SA  veh icles  only) 
Det ail ed  informa tion  regarding  your wa rranties 
ca n b e found  in  your Wa rra nty 
Driving  and  prot ecti ng  the  envi ronm ent  15  

Booklet  3.2  Tips and  Advice 
Chassis 
The  unde rbody of  the  v eh icle is  coated to help p rotect it from  corrosion and 
damage. 
The  und ercoat in g  co uld  be  damag ed  d uring 
n ormal  use.  We recommend  1h a1 1h e und er
coali ng  on  th e  ve hicl e and  1h e  prot ec1ive c oat
in gs  o n  1he s usp ension  be inspec 1e d . a nd  re
pa ired  if necessary,  befo re  and  afte r  1h c  wint er 
seaso n. 
R ep a ir  wor k and  ad

Booklet 3 .2  Tips  and  Advice 
Checking  and  Filling 
Filling  the  tank 
fuel  filler flap  opens from  inside  the vehicle.  The fuel  tank  holds  14 .5  gallons 
(55  Liters). 
Fig . 1  Detail  of the driver door: the fuel fil ler  flop re 
lease  button 
Opening  the fuel  filler flap 
- Pull the  switc h 00) in  th e  drive r doo r 
back 
I. T he  fu el  fill er  flap  i s re leased . 
- Open  the  fuel  filler  flap  and turn  th e 
tank  cap  counte r-cloc kw ise. 
- Hook  t he  fill er cap  to the top  of the filler 
flap 
2 . 
Clo sing  the fuel  filler flap 
- Screw  o n  the  fuel fi lle r  ne ck  clockwise 
until  you hea r it  cl ick  into  position. 
- Alway s m ake  s ure the  fi ller  cap  i s 
screwe d on  a ll way. 
- Close  the  fuel fi ller  flap.  Make  sure  you 
h ear  it  cli ck  into  place. 
The  fue l filler  flap is at  the  re ar  of the vehicle  on 
th e right  re ar  qua rter pan el. 
Whe n  the tex t Pleas e refuel!  appears  in  the in 
s trum ent clu ste r,  th ere a re  still  abo ut 
gallons 
30  Checking and  Filling 
Fig. 2  Open  fuel filler flap  with f iller  cap  attached 
to the flop 
(7  liter s) of gas  in the tank.  A  warning chi me w ill 
a lso  so und. 
An  indi cator  lig ht  (if availab le)  in the  in st rum ent 
cluster  w ill come  on  if the fu el fi ller cap  is  not 
properly  clos ed 
3.1  "C ontrol s and 
Eq uipment." 
T he  automat ic  filler  nozzle  s hould  switc h  itself 
when  the tank  is " full ". Do  not  try  to  put  in 
mor e gas  after  the pump  stops. To ppin g off  the 
ta nk in  this 
will fill  the  expa nsion  chamb er 
i n  th e gas  tank  and  causes  th e  fuel  to ove rflow 
w hen  the  temperature  ri ses. 
The  correct  grade  of fuel  for your  vehicle  is 
s h own  o n 
sti cker  on the  insid e of  the  fuel filler 
flap.  For mor e informatio n on  fu el 3.3 
" T ec hnical  da ta ." 
Specia l indications  far diesel  engines 
Your diesel  vehi cle ha s a  filler  neck  for a  sta ndard 
s ized  fuel  noz zle.  Onl y fuel  the  v ehicl e usin g a 
s tan dard  sized  fuel  nozz le.  Some  s tandard  filler 
no zzles  have  a  sprin g that  preve nts the  nozzle 
from  reaching  complete ly  ins ide  t he  ve hicl e's 
fille r  neck.  However,  it is  poss ible to t h e  nozzl e up  to  wh ere  the  spring  beg ins, an d