Page 338 of 516
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.
Page 339 of 516

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-
Page 340 of 516

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
Page 341 of 516
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.
Page 342 of 516

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
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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 .
Page 348 of 516

Use an acid-free detergent
page 243.
The rubber seals around the doors and windows
on page 243.
Volkswagen recommends using only ge nuine Volkswagen deicer spray with lubricating and anti
corrosive properties to deice door lock cylinders.
Undercoating
on page 243.
The vehicle underbody
is coated to help protect it
from " corrosion and damage . The undercoating
co uld be damaged during normal use. We there
fore recommend that you have the protective coat
ings on the underbody and suspension inspected
regularly , and repa ired if necessary .
Cleaning the engine compartment
on page 243.
The engine compartment of a vehicle is a danger
ous area
cleaning procedures could remove corrosion pro -
Before apply ing the treatment, use a soft to remove dust and dirt from the rubber seals.
Lock deicers that contain grease solvents can
cause the lock cylinder to rust.
Undercoating and ru stproofing products can catch fire on the hot exhaust system or any other hot engine component.
the exhaust pipes, the catalyti c converter, the heat shields, or any other hot vehic le component.
tection and damag e elec trica l components , among
other things. addition, water could enter directly
into the vehicle interior through the plenum cham
ber
Facility.
Vehicle care and maintenance 249
Page 349 of 516
Plenum chamber
The plenum chamber is located in the engine com
partment between windshi eld and engine , under a
perfo r
ated cover. Outside air is taken into the vehi
c le interio r fro m t he plenum ch amber via the cli
m ate control system.
R eg u
larly remove leaves and oth er loo se objec ts
f r o m t he plenum ch am ber cover by hand or wit h a
vacu um cleane r .
scalding, accident and fire haza rds
can occur while working on the engine or in
the engine compartment!
Volkswagen recommends having the work performed by an authorized Volkswagen dealer or authorized Volkswagen Service Facility.
Spraying
or pouring water (e.g . with power
washer) into the plenum chambe r can cause
severe damage to the vehicle .
Wash the engin e com partment on ly in spec ial wash bays so that the oily d irt and fue l res i
due tha t are washed off the vehicle