2012 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF MK6 trailer

Volkswagen Service Vehicles with Xenon
gas-discharge self-adjust to vehicle load
and do not need manual adjustment.
Special towing considerations
th e t railer has an overrun brake, apply the
br akes
Due to the combined towing weight including
the higher gross vehicle weight, the stopping
tance is longer.
Be fo re drivi ng especially on
The vehicle's center of grav ity and , in turn, the
Weight distribution is especially bad if the is emp ty and the trailer is loaded.
Depending on how steep the is an d the
backwards when you first start moving.
When starting off with a tra iler on a
Depress and hold the brake pedal and depress
and hold the clutch (manu al transmission).
171, Shifting .
Unlock the parking brake a nd gently release it
whi le holding the unlock button. At the same time,
release the brake pedal and
depress the
accelerator and, for manual transmissions , let out
the clutch
you can feel the car moving ward . applicable, follow the instruct ions for the Hold feat ure
Do not release the parking brake lever until the
engine starts to move the vehicle forward. your
vehicle has an automatic tr ansmission , you can
so depress and hold the brake peda l for added
b raking and then Jet up on the brake pedal when
you feel that the to move forward .
Drive ahead slowly.
hicle contro l and serious per sonal injury.
dles and increases the distance it needs to stop safely .
Always adapt your sp ee d and driving to th e heavier loa d and the weight distribution in the vehicle. Tak e road , weather , traffic, and visibility conditions into account as well .
Always avoid sudde n maneuv ers and ha rd braking.
atin g.
som e areas
s p ee d for vehicles towing trailers are
lower than for vehicles without trailers. T ra n spo rting

mount support .
tory Information and heed the on page 149.
Your vehicle
is not equipped with a trai ler hitch or p reparations for the in stalla tion of a trailer hitch. tf
you must tow a trailer , you must have the
ry electrical wiring and socket together with a Because towing a traile r
pl aces a great dea l of stress on the vehicle, the
sions of the receive r and
ometry and size . T his app lies to both the height of th e above the surface where it attaches
m ount
and m ake sure that th ey meet th e
The drop height ® from the center of the
The distance @from the center of
the
T he
Never izing " trailer hitch on your vehicle . T he vehicle is
not designed for this kind of trailer hitch .
An improperly or unsuitable trailer hitch can cau se the trailer to s eparate from the towing vehicle and result in a major acci-dent with serious personal injuries.
carrier when you are not towing a trailer.
cle was not designed to tow heavier trailers with a receiver larger than the specified ball.
The increased loads can damage the
ment points for the trailer hitch.
Never use an adapter to the size of the trailer hitch receiver from 1 1
/4 inches (32 mm) to 2
weight that your vehicle can tow.
You can use an adapter if require d for the proper ins ta llation of a bicycle rack or o th er similar carrier as long as the maximum weight limits are observed . When using bicyc le rack s or simil a r carri ers, mak e sure th at the rear lights are not blo cked .
use trail er hitches that are approved by the hitch manufacturer for your vehicle and
model.

Retrofitting a
Fig. 92 Dimensions and attachme nt poin ts for ret­
r ofitti ng a trai le r hitc h.
tory information and heed the WARN ­on page 149.
Vo lkswage n recommends havi
ng the trailer hitch
r et rofit performed by a qua lified workshop because
coo ling syste m modifications
or the installation of heat shields may be necessary. Volkswagen rec- ommends
that you see an authorized Volkswagen
dealer or an auth orized Volkswagen Serv
ice Facili ­
ty before having a traile r hitch
92 ® be less than the spec ified minimum .
Thi s minimum height must be present even when
the is loaded and subjec t to the maxi­
mum tongue weight.
Di stan ce
dimensions =>fig. 92 :
Attachment points.
32.5 inches ( 825 mm)
© 20.5 inches ( 521 mm )
@ 12.4 inches (315 mm )
at leas t 2.6 inches (65 mm)
®
13 .8 - 16.5 inches (350 -mm)
@ 40.9 inches ( 1,0 38 mm)
or incorrect connections to the ve-hicle electr ica l system can cause malfunc-tions that affect the entire vehicle electrical system and cause accidents and serious per-sonal injury.
An improperly
and result in a major acci-dent with se rio us personal injuries.
T ransporti ng
155

Wheel size designation
Wheel rim diameter and width .
Occupant loading and distribution for vehicle normal load for various
designated seating capacities
Designated seating ca-Vehicle
normal load, Occupant
distribution
pacity, number of occu- number of occupants
in a normally loaded
pants
2 ,3 or 4 2
5 3
Tires and vehicle load limits
on
page 258.
There are limits to the load any
or any tire can carry . A vehicle that
is overloaded
Overloading can also lead to
blowout, sudden loss
of pressure or
other tire failure that can cause loss
of
control.
Your safety and the safety
of your
passengers depends on making sure
that load
ing capacity) with an assumed weight
of (68 kg) for each passenger
at a designated seating position and
the total weight
of any luggage in the
vehicle.
you tow a trailer, the weight
of the trailer hitch and the tongue
weight
of the loaded trailer must be
included as part
of the vehicle weight.
At altitudes above
for
every
ft m) .
The Gross Axle Weight Rating
(GAWR)
is the maximum load that
can be carried at each
of the vehicle's
2 axles (by the front or rear tires) .
GVWR and GAWR are listed on the
safety compliance
cleaning, maintenance

Engine life is influenced by how you drive the vehi­
cle for the first miles (1 ,600 km). Even after­
wards , driv ing at moderate engine speeds, espe­
tend to reduce
engine wear and help the engine to last longe r and
go farther . But do not dri ve at an excess ive ly low
engi n e speed , either . A lways downshi ft if the en­
gin e is not running smoothly . For the first
Do not use
Don't le t t he engine speed get above 2/3 the
max imum speed.
Do not tow a trailer .
Parts and accessories
on pag e 283.
Volkswagen recomme nds that you consult an au­
tho
rized Vol kswagen dealer or authoriz ed Volkswa­
gen Service Facility before purchas ing accesso ­
ries, spare parts or other equipment. Always do so
i f you want to
on page 283.
Operating fluids and parts that wear out w ith use (such as timing belts, tires , engine coolants ,
engine oils, spark plugs, and vehic le batteries) are
constantly being improved . For this reason, it is im ­
portant to have operating fluids ch anged and
wear­ing parts rep laced by an au thorized Volkswage n
de ale r or authorized Volk swagen Service Facility.
Authorized Volkswagen dealers and authorized
Volkswagen Service Facilities are a lways up- to ­
date regarding new developmen
ts and ch anges .
284 cleaning , maintenance F
rom
to
New tires and rep lacing tires 258
Brakes 183
Breaking in a new engine incr ease serv ice life and reduce oil co nsump tion. Improper veh icle modifications and r e pairs
affect the performance of the airbag system and cause malfunctions and severe personal injuries.
Improper use of operating and equip­m ent can cause accidents , serious personal injuries , burns and/or poisoning.
WARNINGS on the package before us-ing vehicle care products.

Changing a wheel
Introduction
this sect ion you 'll find informati on about:
for changi ng a wheel . . . . . . . . . 311
Wheel bolts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311
Lifting the vehi cle with the vehicle jack . . . . . . 313
Changing a whee l ....................... 315
After ch anging a wheel
................... 315
Change a wheel by yourse lf only if the vehicle is
park ed in a safe loca tion , you are fam
ilia r with
safe ty procedures and the technical steps, and you
ha ve proper too ls ava ilable . Otherwise , get expert
ass istan
ce.
More information:
Exterior views 6
Vehicle key set
Tires and whee ls 258
an em ergency
Vehicle tool kit
W heel covers
Changing a wheel ,
proaching traffic.
you are towing a trailer, always unhitch it from your vehicle before starting to change the wheel. Always apply the trailer brakes firmly and make sure the trailer cannot move unintentionally.
ing the transmission in Par k (P) or in gear
proved for use on other Volkswagen models.
es , and serious personal injuries, never en the screws on rims with threaded rim rings.
rate torque wrench.

Eyeglass storage compartment . . . . . . . . . 158
F
FAQs ............................... 297
Features , troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297 capacity
Windshield washer fluid reservoi r . . . . . . 132
Fire extinguisher Trailer lowing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151 Floor mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Fog
lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
aske d questions . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
Front airbags
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 1
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Gasoline . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . 219
Fuel capa cities
F uel tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Fuel
consumption D riving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Wha t inc reases fuel consumption? . 296, 298
Fu el
container, p o rt abl e . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Fu el
ca p . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
C losing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Fu el
gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215 light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Fueling Wrong
fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
G
cod ing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
F use boxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319
G
12 plus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Fue l . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Grades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Gearshift lever
Manual transmiss ion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Generator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Getting re ady . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
31 Gla sses storage compartm ent.......... 158
Glove compartment
Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
storage compartments . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Gross vehicle weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
H
Headlight range adjustm ent . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Dynamic headlight range adjustment . . . . 126
Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
H igh beam switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 23
. . . . . . . . . . . 195
Horn
11
removal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
eng ine and igni tion . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
keys
see Vehicle keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
U nau thorized vehicle key . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
an emergency . . . . . . . . 299 light the brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Br ake syste m . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . converte r . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295
Ch ang ing a light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321 Checki ng engi ne . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Cruise control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
E mission control sys t
em . . . . . . . . . . . . 295 Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295
Engine coolan t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
E ng ine se nsor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227 ..............• . .............
. . 215
Remo te control key . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Sh ifting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Stee ring
lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192 Press ure Monitoring Syste m . . . . . . . . . 129
door unlocking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Tire identification number . . . . . . . . 272
Tire i nflation pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
Tire
. . . . 261, 273
UTQG classification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
Valve caps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Wear indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
Wheel balancing . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . 268
Wheel rims . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
Winte r tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274
Tire wear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
Tongue weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Trailer loading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Tools kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Tow-starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Towing ............................. 331 Driving tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333
Front towing eye . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332
Manua l tr ansmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rear towing eye . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333 considerations . . . . . . . . . . . 331 Tow bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331 Tow rope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331 Tow truck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
Trail er
Connec ting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
151 Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Driving with a trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Head
light settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Hitching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151 LED taillights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151 Load ing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151 Ou ts ide mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Sa fety chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151 Ta illi gh ts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151 Tongue weight ................. 149,151
Towing capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151 Trai ler towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
hitch
. . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Transporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Driving tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Driving with an open rear hatch . . . . . . . . 138
Driving with a trai ler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Luggage compartment pass-thro ugh . . . . 144
Roof rack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146, 148
Shopping bag hooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Stow
ing luggage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138 Tie-downs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Trailer loading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151 Trailer towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Tran
sporting children in vehicles . . . . . . . Tread depth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
T urn s
ignal leve r . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
u
Undercoating ....................... . 249 Unidirectional tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
Unlocking From inside the vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
From outside the vehicle . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
wi th Keyless Access . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Upholstery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251 .......... ................... 252
. . . . . . . . . . . . 252
. . . 252
. . . 255
UTQG classification 292
v
Valve caps Vehi cle 265
L oad ing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
37 Lock ing from the outside . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
grade . . . . . . . . . . 183 Stopping on an grade . . . . . . . . . . . 183 Unlocking and locking from the ins ide . . . . 43 U nlocking from the outside . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Vehicle battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Au toma tic deact ivation . . . . . . . . . . . 241 Battery acid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Battery runs down . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
347