2012 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF brakes

When th e front brakes are serviced , you
checked The best way to check for brake pad wear is to have your author-
Braking assistance systems
first read and note the introduc­tory information and heed the WARN­on pag e 179.
The and EDL braking assis­tance systems work
to improve road dy­namics to of skidding and of when the engine is running . driv­ing situations ,
you to get the
the
has of physics. not
may not be
or snow,
(r ides on a cushion of water instead of the road surface) , not be because contact with the pavement has been interrupted and the
as with difficult driving situations as it can at speeds. When towing a to if you were not towing a
to visi­road, traffic , and weather conditions . cannot override the in ­crease the trac tion , o r keep a
of keeping the and on the road ized
inspect the pads through the openings in the necessary, the can be taken
off for a more thorough inspection. during
extreme maneuvers by using the driver's
s teeri ng inputs to
can provide any assistance, you may not ex­perience the benefits of
and/or works together wi th the EDL, and XDL systems (see the time and cannot be switched off. certain situations when you need traction cannot be ach­ieved, you can switch off by pressing the button on again when you no traction .
Anti-Lock Brake
to keep the to maintain the driver's to steer and the This means the is
down hard and
Do not "pump" the brake
the
notice a
cannot shorten the stopping distance
under all conditions. The stopping distance may even be for instance , when driving on grav­or on snow covering an icy or pery surface.
Brake Assis t
can you press the brake very detects an emergency situation. brake system pres­
sure , maximizing braking power and reducing the stopping distance. This way, and efficiently.

Switching
Fig. 114
on page 179.
Brake fluid
Fig. 11 5
on pag e 179.
Brake fluid
absorbs water from the air over time.
To o much water in the brake fluid will damage the brake system. Water also lowers th e boiling point of the brake fluid. Too much water in the brake flu id can cause vapor lock during heavy brake use or hard braking. Vapor lock reduces braking
ty of others depends on brakes that are worki ng
properly at all times
The Electronic
EDL and
can be switched off by pressi ng @ 114
wh ile the engine is running. off
When driving in deep s now o r on loose
When the vehicle back and forth when you are stuck.
on again by pressing @ 114. Brake specifications
Volkswagen has developed a special brake fluid
that is optimized for the brake system in your Volkswagen. Volkswagen recommends that you
use brake fluid that conforms to qua lity standa rd VW Standard
F ederal Motor Vehicle 116 4 o r
14 also complie s wi th 116 4 and 4925 4
requ irements . However. brake fluid that generally complies with s ta ndard 116 4 o r 4925 essarily comply with the special requirements of VW s ta ndard
cle.
Appropriate bra ke fluid
can be purchased from
you r authorized Volkswagen dealer or authorized
Volkswagen
The f lu id level in the transparent brake fluid voir must always be between the and MAX marking

this section find info rmat ion about:
Effi cient driving sty le
....... . 189
Fue l-efficient driv in g . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fuel consumpti on, envi ronme ntal impact, and wear
a nd tear on eng ine, brakes and tires depend main­
l y on the
pe rsona l d riving style.
External conditions (weather , road condi tions).
Technical requir emen ts.
Efficient driving
on page 189.
Shifting faster
As a rule , th e app lies: The h igh er gear is
a lways the most e ffi cient gear . The rule of thumb
for mos t veh icles is to drive in 3rd gear at
mph
gears when upshifting also saves
Do not run the gea rs up to their lim it. Use 1st gear o nly to s tart movin g and then sm oot hly s hift into
2 n d gear. Avoid kick-do wns in vehicl es with auto ­
matic tra nsm issions.
Coasting
you take your foot off the accel erator, fuel de liv­ery to the engine is interrupted , which lowers fuel consum ptio n.
Therefo re , whe n nearing a red stop for in­
stance , the veh icle to coas t without usin g the
accelerator . Pre ss the peda l a nd release it
o nly if the vehicle mov ing too slowly or the coast­
ing distance is too long. The engine
situa tions where the
swi tch off the eng in e.
conditions. Defensive driving and with traffic
Freq uent braki ng and accelerat ion increase s fuel
cons umption significantly . Just by driving defen­
s ive ly and keep ing a sufficiently large
distance
away fro m the
caused by taking your foot off the accelerator . Active braking and acceler ­
at ing is then not nece ssarily re qu ired .
Calm and smooth driving
Consistency is more important than speed. The
m ore smo oth ly you drive , the less fuel the vehic le
consumes.
Whe n driving
on the highw ay or free way, a co n­
stant , m ode rate speed is more efficien t and eco­
n omi ca l than constantly accelerating and brak ing.
you can reach your dest ination just as
quick ly by driv ing at a mod erate, but steady sp eed.
Th e crui se control syst
em can assist in mainta ining
a un iform dri vin g style.
Moderate use of extra electrical loads
Comfort in sid e the ve hicle is nic e and important ,
but it is importa nt to use the m in an envi ronm enta l­
l y conscious manner.
Some devices can increase fuel consumptio n
whe n activated (exa mples):
Starting, shiftin g, parki ng 189

Driver assistance systems
Starting assistance systems
Volksw age n Informatio n pag e 24
pa ge 179
Vehicle batt ery
p age 2 58
Jump-s ta rting page 327
The
on p age 195 .
fo r examp le afte r
s topping at a traffic light. don't have to app ly
an d r elease th e park ing brake whil e depress ing the
accele ra tor . For
The dynam ic sta rting assistance feature s
cannot keep the vehicle from moving in all hill-start situations (for example, if the ground is slippery or icy).
Driving with too little fuel in the fuel tank in-
c rea se s th e risk of especially when driving up and down hills.
H old keeps th e bra ke a ppl ied for not quit e
2 seconds with the same force you u sed t o p reve nt the veh ic le f rom mov ing. This gives you time to
t ake your foot off the brake , let the clu tch out on a manual transm issio n veh ic le, a n d gently depress
the accele ra tor to get the veh icle m ovi ng agai n.
F urther more, if any requi remen t for engagi ng
Ho ld disengages and the brakes are automati ­no longer ho ld th e vehic le.
Driver ass is tance systems 195

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 .

Washing with a power washer
tory information and heed the on page 243.
A lways
M ake sure th ere is e nough dista nc e to soft .
N ever u
se concentrated jet nozzles or dirt
use of power washers can cause serious invisible permanent damage leading to tire and loss of vehicle control. This can cause accidents and serious personal in-jury.
blasters" to clean tires .
Even spraying from a relatively long distance for a very short time can do visible or invisi-
After the vehicle has been washed, the wet brakes or, in winter, brake discs or pads coat-ed with react slower and need longer stopping distances.
Always dry the brake s and clean off any coatings with a few careful application s of the brake. Make sure not to endanger other motorists or cyclists or disobey require-ments.
P le a se first read and note the
on page 243 .
C lea
ning windows and outside mirrors
Water temperature should not be more than
To help prevent damage to the paint, do not wash the vehicle in direct sunlight.
When using a power washer or steam er, only spray the sensors directly for a short period of time and always keep the nozzle at least 4 inches em) from the sensor.
Do not clean icy or snow-covered windows with a power washer.
hav e
a bsorbe d an oily resid ue t ha t sme ar th e glass
s u rfaces .
U
se w indow cleaner or a s ilicone remover to mov e r ubbe r, oil, grease and silico ne dep osits
care and maint enanc e 245

gency and even then only with
special care and at low speed .
Wheel rims
Please first read and note the tory information and heed the on page 258.
The design
of the wheel bolts is matched to the
factory-installed wheels. different wheels are wheel bolts with the right leng th and head shape must be used . This helps to ensure
that wheels can be mounted securely and that the
brakes
page
rect tighteni ng torque The requi red
tightening tor que for your vehicle 's whee l bolts is
88 ft-lbs
Faci lity.
rim rings
Wh eel rims with bolted rim rings have several
parts . Th e parts are bolted together with special
screws in a spec ial process. This helps to ensure that they work properly , prevent leaks, run true
and safely. Damag ed wheel rims must be replaced,
New and
on
page 258.
Care,
tir es in
req uirements. and you must never take them apart or try to repair
them yourself . Have an authorized Volkswagen
dealer or authorized Volkswagen
rims with
orative covers attached to the rim with self-locking
screws . you wan t to repl ace damaged wheel
covers , contact you r authorized Volkswagen dealer
or autho rized Volkswagen
U sing improper or dam aged wheel rims can affect driving safety, cause accidents and vere injury.
Use only whee l rims approved for the
Regularly check wheel rims for damage and replace them if necessary .
loosening and tightening of the on rims with rim ring s can
cause accidents and severe personal injury.
connections on rim rings.
H ave work on rim rings performed by an authorized wagen or authorized ice

worn down.
,
chains can scratch or damage
recommends using coated snow chains. Glossary of tire and loading terminology
on
page 258.
Accessory
weight
The combined weight (in excess of
those standard items which may be
of automatic trans miss ion,
power steering ,
power brakes, po
wer w indo ws, power
seats, radio, a nd heater , to
the extent
that these items are
equipment (whethe r in­
or
indi cates a tire with a
shorter
for impro ved ste ering
response and better
on dry pavement.
Bead
The part of a tire made of wires,
wrapped or r einfo rced by
cords ,
w ith the shape and structure to en­
sure proper fit to th e
rim .
Bead separation
A breakdown of the bo nd between
components in the bead.
276 maintenance
Carcass
The tire structure, except tread and
Cord
The strands of forming the
or inner
manufacturer for a tire of a
speci
fied size that has not been driv­
en for more than a