
Booklet  3.1  Controls  and  Equipment 
Tips 
Pro tec t yo ur  vehicle  from  soilin g, for e xam ple  by 
w ra p ping  dirt y item s in  a blank et  be for e lo adin g 
th em  thr ough  the  th rough-lo adi ng  op enin g 
glove compartment 
Fig.  53  Front possenger  side : glove  comportment 
Th e co mpartm ent  can  b e op ened  by  pu llin g  th e 
l eve r 
53. It is  loc ke d wh en  th e  key  s lo t is  in 
th e pos ition. 
S tora ge for  the  vehicle  l it erat ure 
Th e ve hicle lite ratur e 
54 should  a lways 
b e  ke pt in  th e g love  c ompartm ent.  Do place 
o th er  obj ec ts  in shel f for  th e ve hicl e lllre, th ey might  fall behi nd  th e glove  co mpart
Cooling  the  g love  co mpartm ent 1
3
l 
T here  is an  air  outl et  o n 
le ft  of th e  rear  panel 
glo ve  comp artm ent. 
Optiona l e qu ip me nt  Fig
. 54  In open  glove  compartment:  optional  ve
h icle manual  storage 
and  air outlet 
Turn  th e air  ou tle t  to  op en  and  close Always 
c lose a ir  outlet  wh en  no t  in  u se. 
WARNING 
An open  glove  co mpartment  d oor can  in
cre ase  the ris k of  seriou s injury  during ha rd 
braking  or  in  a  cras h. 
•  L oose items 
th e glo ve  compart ment  can fly throu gh the  pa sse nger  co m par tmen t in  a 
cra sh  and  ca use  serious  in jury. 
•  Alwa ys  kee p  th e g love co mpartm ent  clo se d 
properly  wh en  th e vehicl e is  moving 
Seat s and  storage  69  

Booklet 3.1 Controls  and  Equipment 
Applies  to  vehicles: with front  center  armrest and  one storage  comportment 
Front  center  armrest  with  storage  compartment 
arm rest can  be moved  backward  and forward. 
Fig.  5 5 Front  armrest  with  storage  comportme nt 
Opening  and  closing  the  storage 
compartment 
- To  open  th e storage  compar tment  lift 
th e armr est in  the direction  of the arrow 
55 . 
Applies  to vehicles: with  rear  armrest 
- To  clo se th e s torag e co mpartm en t, pu ll 
do wn  the  a rm re st. 
Cooling  the  s torag e compartment  in the front 
ce nter  armr est 
In ve hicles w ith  air  co nditi oning  there  is a n 
ou tlet in  the s to rage  c omp artm ent  (pro vid ed a 
C D  Chang er 
no t be en in sta lled) . D ep ending 
o f th e settin g of th e front  controls =: page  81 or 
84  cold  or h eat ed  air  ca n be g uid ed int o 
th e co mpartm ent . Turn  th e air  outl et t o o pen 
a nd  clo se it. 
WARNING 
Str iking  an  open  armrest  cover  can  cause  se
riou s inju ry in  a cras h. 
•  Always  keep  the armrest  closed when  th e 
ve hicl e is  m ov ing. 
Opti onal e quipm ent 
70  Seats  and  storage 
-Fold  th e rear  armr est do wn  complete ly . 
- Pre ss  the s torage  compa rtment relea se 
c at ch 
56 
- Lift th e storage  compartme nt 
WARNING 
St riki ng  an  open  armrest  cover ca n cause  se 
r ious  injury in  a cras h. 
•  Always  keep the ar mr est clo sed when  the 
ve hicl e is  movin g.  

Booklet  3.1  Controls  and  Equipment 
WARNING  (continued) 
• Always  make  sure  a ll windows  arc  clear  of 
ice,  snow,  and  conde nsa tion  for  good  v is ibili ty 
-out  the wind shi eld , side  and  rear  w indows . 
•  Max imum  heating  output  and fast 
frosting  w ill only  occur  after  the en gine  has 
Applies  to vehicles:  with  Climo tic 
Heating  and  cooling  the interior 
WARNING (continued) 
reache d operat ing temperature.  Wait until  you 
h ave good  v is ibilit y befor e driving 
•  Thoroughly  fam iliar ize  yourse lf wi th  the 
op erat io n  of  lhe  hea tin g and  vent ilation 
sys tem,  including  the  defog/defrost  features 
you  w ill ne ed  for  good  visibilit y. 
•  Always  read and heed  the inform ati on  and 
a ll 
The  set  tempe rature is maintained  a.ulOmatically . 
Fig. 68  I n the  cen ter conso le : C limo te  co ntrols 
Heating  the  interior 
- Turn  the  temperatur e selector 68 
to  the  right  until  the desired  heat  output 
i s  reached. 
- Turn  the  ran  switch ©  to one  of  the 
tin gs 
- Use  the air  di stribution to 
g uid e th e air whe re  you  want (to 
the  wind shi eld l.@( into  the  vehicle 
(to  th e foot  wells) th e 
w ind shi eld  and  to  th e footw ells). 
Cooling  the  interior 
- Sw itc h  on  the coo ling sys te m  b y 
pre ssing  th e =efig.  68 IECONI  button  (the 
l amp  in  the  button  should 
1101 b e  lit  up). 
82  Air conditioning  system 
Turn  rhe temperature  se lector  to  the le ft 
until  the  des ired  coo ling  outpu t is reach ed. 
Turn  th e fan  switch  to one  of the 
tin gs 
- Use  the  air  d ist ribution  control to 
g uide  the ai r flow  wher e you  want 
(lo 
th e windshield).@  (into  the  vehicle  inte· 
ri or).@j  ( to  the  foo t wells) 
(to  the 
w in dshi eld  and  to  th e footwell s). 
Heating 
Maximum output , w hich  i s need ed to fr os t the quickly , is  on ly  available  when 
the  engin e rea ch ed  its ope rating  

Booklet  3.1  Controls  and  Equipment 
Cooling system 
When  the air  condit ion ing is  on,  not on ly  th e 
temperatur e, but  also  the air  humidit y in  th e ve
h icle  interior  is  re du ced. Thi s improve s comfort 
for  the  vehicle  occupallls  and preve nts  th e  w in
dows  from  fogging  up  when  th e o utsi de a ir i s 
very  humid. 
I f  the  air  conditionin g does  not 
on, it 
co uld be  for one  of  the follow ing reasons 
•  the eng ine  is  no t running. 
Applies to vehicles:  with  Climatic 
Air  recirculation  mode 
•  th e fan  is sw itch ed  off. 
•  t he outs id e  te mperatu re  is  lower  than 
rou ghly 
+ 40 ( +3 °CJ . 
•  the air  conditioner  compr essor  has  bee n 
tempor aril y sw it ched  off because  th e e ngi ne 
coo la nt  te mp erature  i s too  high. 
•  the air  condition er  fu se  is blow n. 
•  have  the air  condit ione r ch ecked  by  an  au
th ori ze d Vo lkswage n deale r. 
Air  recirculat ion mod e prevent s fum es or unpleasant  smells from entering  the ve
hicle. 
- Pre ss  the  butt on 82, 68 
switch  air  r eci rculat io n  mode  on  or off. 
When  it is s witch ed on a yellow  light in the 
button  light s up. 
Air r ecircul atio n m ode  pre vents stro ng  out door 
odors  from  ent erin g th e ve hicle  interior,  for ex
amp le  when  driving  th rough  a tunnel  or  in 
de nse  traffi c. 
the out side  te mp erature is  low,  usin g air 
r e circulat io n  m ode  prov ides  mor e effective 
h ea tin g by  hea ting  air fr om th e ve hicle  int eri o r 
instead  of cold  air  from  outsid e. 
W hen  th e o utside  te mperat ure is  hi gh,  usin g air 
r eci rculation  mode  prov ides m ore  effectiv e 
coo ling 
cooling  air from  th e ve hicle  i111erior 
in ste ad  of wa rm  ai r from  ou ts id e. 
For safety  re aso ns,  air  re cir cu lati on  is  not  pos
s ib le 
th e colll ro l for  air  di stributi on  i s set 
t o  th e®  pos ition.  The  air reci rc ul atio n  m ode  ca
n b e sw itch ed  back  on b y pressing 
bu  lion . 
WARNING 
Stale  air  cau ses driver  fatigue  and  reduces 
dri ver alert ness . Thi s can  lead  lo acciden ts, 
co llisio ns  and  seriou s perso nal injury. 
•  Neve r use air  reci rculation  for lo ng period s 
of  tim e becau se no fresh  air  will  come  into  the 
pa ssenger  com partm ent. 
•  If  the coo ling sys tem  is  sw itch ed  o ff, the 
w indows  can  fog up qui ckl y and  decrease 
dr ive r vis ibilit y. 
•  Always  sw itch  the recirculation  mode  off 
wh en  i t is  not  nee ded. 
Do  not s moke  whil e a ir reci rc ul atio n m ode  is  on, 
as  sm oke  draw n i111 0 the clim ate-co ntrol sys te m 
ca n leave  a re sidue  on  th e evaporator,  producin g 
perm an en t unpl easant odo r. 
Air  conditioning  system  83  

Booklet 3.1  Controls  and  Equipment 
Applies to vehicles: Climofronic 
Manual  mode 
In man ual  mode you.  can temperature,  airfl ow, and  distribution 
yourself 
Fi g.  7 2 On  the  center  conso le : Cl imotronic  controls 
Switching  on  manual  mode 
-Press  one  of the butt on s 72 to 
(+16 °C ) is se lec te d 
th e di sp lay  switch es to LO. In thi s setting  the 
syste m runs  at max imum  cooling  ou tput  and 
th e te mp eratur e is 
11 0 1 co ntroll ed. 
If  a tempera ture abov e 
86 °F °CJ  is se lec te d 
th e di splay  switches  to  HI.  In  th is se tting th e 
sys te m  run s 
maxi mum  hea tin g o utput  and 
the  te mp erature  is  no t con tro lled . 
Fon 
Th e fa n ca n  b e adj uste d th e fan Always  have  the runnin g at low  sellin g 
w hen  driving low  speeds  to s ur e th ere  is fl ow  offresh  air into  th e ve hicle. If th e is se t to 0, the C lim atro nic  switc he s o ff. 
Air  dist ribution 
U se  the an d@t o co ntrol  the air 
d is tr ibuti on. Whe n a fun ctio n  is sw itch ed o n, 
the  button  li ght s up.  It is  also  pos sibl e to ope n 
a nd  close so me of  the air  ou tlet s se parat ely. 
Sw itching  the  Climotroni c  on /off 
Th e C limatroni c sys te m  can b e sw itch ed  on  and 
off  with  th e The sys te m  sh oul d on ly 
b e off in  exception al cases,  e.g.  if the 
sys te m m alfu nct io ns.  Th e butl on light s up  whe n 
th e  sys te m  i s sw itch ed  off . 
Switch ing on  the  economy  mode 
Use the(ECONJ  bu1ton  to sw itch  on th e econ omy 
m ode . W hen  th e bu no n  li gh ts  up,  the coo ling 
sys te m  sw itch es  off  to sa ve  fue l. 
Air  conditioning  system  87  

Booklet  3.1  Controls  and  Equipment 
Applies to  vehicles:  with  Climat ronic 
Air  recirculation  mode 
Air  rec irculation  mode  prevents fumes  or unpleasant  smells from  entering  the  ve
hicle. 
- Press the  but ton 87, 72 to 
s witch  air  rec ircu lat ion  mode  on  or  off. 
Wh en  it i s switched  o n a ye llow  lig ht  in  the 
button  ligh ts  up. 
A ir  reci rculati on  mod e pr events  stron g outd oor 
odors  from enter ing th e ve hicl e int eri or.  for  ex
a mpl e when  dri ving  through  a  tunnel o r in 
dense  traffic. 
W hen  th e  o utsid e te mp eratur e is  low , u sin g air 
r ecirc ulatio n  mod e pro vides  mor e effec tive 
h eat ing by  hea ting  air from  th e veh icle inte rior 
in stea d of  co ld air  from  ou ts id e. 
When  the  ou ts id e te mp era tur e is  high.  using  air 
recirc ulatio n mode  provides  m ore 
coo ling by  coo ling air  fr om  the ve hicle  interior 
in stea d of warm  air  from  out sid e. 
Important  notes 
T he  pollen  filter 
The poll en filt er (a co mbin ed  particl e filt er and 
ac tive c harcoa l fil te r) se rves  as a  ba rr ier  again st 
impu rit ies  in  the  outside  air, includ ing dus t a nd 
poll en. 
Fo r th e air  condi tio nin g sys te m 
o ff 
88  Air conditioning  system 
WARNING 
Stale  air  causes  driver  fatigue and reduces 
driver  alertness.  T his can  lead  to  accidents , 
collisions  and  se rious  personal  injury. 
•  Neve r use air recircu latio n for  long periods 
of  time  because  no  fresh  air will come  into  the 
pa ssen ger compartment. 
•  The  w indows  can  fog up  quickl y if  the 
cooling  system  is switched  off  an d decrease 
dri ver visibility. 
•  Always  switch  the  recircu lat ion  mod e off 
w hen  it is not  ne ed ed. 
Note 
Do  not sm oke  whil e air  rec ircul ation  mod e  is o n, 
as  sm oke  drawn  into  th e cl im ate-co ntrol syste m 
can  le ave 
res idu e on the  evaporator,  prod ucing 
a  per manent  unpleasant  odor. _,.. 
•  Out side  temperatur e is  below  abo ut 40° F 
temperat ure. 
•  The  air- co nditi onin g fu se  is  blow n. 
•  There  is so me othe r prob le m  with 
ve 
hicl e. Ha ve  the air- co nditi onin g sys te m  ch ec ked 
a t yo ur  auth orize d Vo lkswagen  dea ler  or  quali 
fi ed  wo rks hop. 
WARNING 
Poor  visibility  increases  the  risk of  collisions 
an d ot her  accide nts. 
•  Always  make sure  all windows  are  clear of 
i ce, s now , and  condens ati on  for good  v isib ility 
- out  the  windshi eld,  side  and  rear w indows. 
•  Maximum  heating output  and  fa st de 
fro stin g 
only  occ ur af ter  the  en gin e has  

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 
Coolant 
Coolant specifications 
Coolant  is a of water at least  40% coolant  additive. 
The  cooling  s yst em  must  b e filled  with  a  mixtur e 
of a nd  at le ast 40 % of Vol kswag en additi ve G 12 or an  additi ve with  the  sp ec ifica
ti o n F  (purpl e in  colo r). 
T hi s mi xtur e gives  the necess ary  fro st p rotec tion 
do wn  to  -1 3°  F (-2 5°  C)  and  p rot ec ts  th e all oy 
part s of the  cooling  sy stem  again st  co rros ion. 
It also  pr ev ent s from  scalding  and  raises the 
boilin g po int  of  th e cool ant. 
Th e co nce ntrati on  of coo la nt  mu st 
b e  at 
l e a st 40 % eve n  if fr os t  p rotec tion  i s not  r e
quir ed . 
If  gre at er frost  protection  is  nee ded  in very co ld 
climat es. th e proportion  of th e antifree ze 
tive G 12 c an  b e in cre ase d.  H ow ev er,  th e per
ce ntag e o f coo la nt  addit ives  must  n ot exceed 
GO% , as  this 
re du ce  the  f rost p rotec tio n. It also  re du ce  the  coo lin g e ffec t. mi xture 
w ith coo lant  additi ve will  give  frost ti on 10 about C) . 
WARNING 
Coola nt is poi sonous! 
•  Always  keep the  coo la nt  in  its origin al con
t a in er  stored  in a  safe  place. 
•  To  reduce  the risk  of  poi sonin g, neve r  use 
em pty food  or bev erage  co ntainers  that  might 
mislead  someone  into  d rinkin g from  th em. 
WARNING  (continued) 
• Always  keep drain ed  coo lant  out th e 
r eac h of  ch ildren. 
•  The  coolant  additive 
G 12 must  be added  in 
s uffici ent quantiti es to give  enough  anti
fr eeze  protection  at  the  co ldest  temperatur es 
that  can  be expecte d where  the vehicle  will  be 
u sed. 
•  At ex treme ly  cold  temperat ures,  the 
coolant  could  fr eeze,  caus ing the  vehicl e to 
br eak  dow n. The  heater wou ld also  not  work 
and  vehicl e occupants  could  be without  pro
tection  at sub-free zin g temperatures! 
Note 
•  Oth er  additi ves  ma y give  co nsid erabl y inf e
ri or co rros io n  prot ection.  The  res ulting corro
s io n  in  th e  coo ling syste m  can  lead  to  a  lo ss  of 
c o ol ant , cau sing  seri ous 
to  the  en gine. 
•  The coo lant  additiv e  G 12  ( purpl e) can  be 
mi xed  w it h  th e ad diti ve  G  12  (p ink )  o r w ith  the 
ad ditive 
11.  G 12 c an  be  recog nize d in  the pans io n  t ank  b ecau se it  is purpl e. T he  coo lant 
G  L2 h as  bee n with di ffe re nt  coolant  to 
th e  o nes  nam ed  ab ove  if  th e fluid  in  th e 
sion  ta nk brown!  The  coolant  must b e 
chang ed  as  soo n as pos sib le  if th is  is  the  ca se ! Se
ri ous  fun cti onal pr oble m s 
en gin e co uld be  caused 
Checking  and  Filling  43